160 Feet Per Second
by The Inner Hollow
Summary: Over five years ago, a plane crashed and a boy was lost. Five years later he was found again, scarred and bloodied with a bow in hand. What happens now as the boy rejoins a world that thought him dead, filled with secrets and a promise to a dead man? Only time will tell.
1. Ashibumi 1-1

Ashibumi 1.1

I sprinted through the dense undergrowth, the treacherous uneven ground doing nothing to impede my sure footed step. I knew every part of this island, every inch of its landscape, I could traverse it on a moonless night with the same surety as I did now.

It was all I could do these days. I couldn't make it past the razor sharp reef on my own, as the faded scars on my back and chest could attest to, and even if I made it past the current and reef, the horrific storms and heavy seas would make any makeshift raft into a death sentence. So I stayed here.

And ran.

And trained.

And hunted.

But today was different, today I'd smelt something different on the wind, a very distinctive odour that had caused a fierce spark of hope in my heart.

Fumes.

I smelt exhaust from a machine.

That meant technology.

That meant _people_.

It meant I could finally get of this island and get home.

But only if I moved quickly.

My arms brushed aside another branch as I dashed further forcing every iota of speed out of my muscles. I came to a high drop and instead of slowing I surged over it, my hands lashing out on a branch and using it to pull myself through the air landing lightly on my feet as I kept up my pace.

I slid across the loose stone until I came to the bottom of the steep cliff face, my goal resting at the top of the rocky platform. Most people wouldn't have attempted something like this without a full set of rock-climbing  
>equipment and protective gear.<p>

Me?

I climbed it with my bare hands and feet with nothing but a ragged pair of pants and a makeshift hoody I'd made out of some sheets that had washed ashore. I climbed like a man possessed, leaping from one handhold to the next with my whole body at a breakneck pace my toughened palms and soles of my feet latching firm to the cliff face propelling me scrambling up to the top before I pulled myself over the lip of the edge with a grunt. I looked up and I could see it the dust plane trawling slowly through the sky. I could see my ticket home.

But it couldn't see me.

Time to change that.

I leapt forward across the spine of the rocky cliff top running as fast as I could, jumping over the drops back down into the canyon before I slid to a stop next to my goal.

It was a makeshift bundle, made from the same material as my hood that held one of my most treasured objects here on the island. I unfolded it to reveal a bow and some hand crafted arrows, the tips all cut from unrefined fire dust, taken from the abandoned mine.

I inhaled and let my aura flow through my body and into the arrow, the arrowhead now glowing white hot akin to a blade in a forge. Not much time before it detonates, can't expect much from the unrefined stuff.

I grabbed the bow and nocked the arrow pulling the tight drawstring back to full draw, the sea wind blowing my dirty matted hair over my unwavering eyes. No matter. I already knew where the target was, I did not need my eyes to see it.

I forced myself to stay calm and focused on my breathing. On the next full breath. I exhaled slowly feeling the air drift out of me before I inhaled the bitingly cold air of the island only further honing my sharpened focus.

I breathed in, feeling the wind blowing against me as I did so and adjusted my aim minutely.

Then I fired.

The arrow soared the air like a bullet from a gun arcing up into the sky, the white hot arrowhead blazing a trail through the air, before descending down like a javelin from on high and slamming into the large pile of fire dust crystals stacked down on the beach front.

The arrow did its job perfectly the raw red dust detonating in conflagration of flames with such force that I could feel the explosion from up here. I looked up at the air ship, a desperate hope still flickering away within my heart.  
>Come on…<p>

Please see it…

Then, like providence from above a spot light blazed out from the aircraft swiftly focusing on the bonfire as the aircraft came about.

I don't remember when I started running towards the beach but before I even seemed to realise it I was already tearing through the forest, my bow held tightly in a firmly held grip as I spun and mantled over any obstacle that got in my way before I slowed as I stepped off of dirt and onto the jagged rocks that signified I'd reached the beach.

The beach, just like everywhere else on this island was harsh and cruel, instead of sand there was only sharp rock constantly whetted by the harsh crashing waves. It was here I had first washed up on the island, the hell that was called Tartarus. And now it was where I would be leaving it.

The Airship had landed on the beach, people in crisp white uniforms disembarking down a ramp onto the island, polished clean guns in hand as they scanned the area. One was examine my makeshift Grimm repellent, a series of Grimm skulls mounted on wooden pikes. Surprisingly more efficient than you'd think. Grimm really don't like going near other dead Grimm.

Finally one soldier spotted me as I made my way forward, calling out to their comrades with a startled voice before commanding me to stop and drop to my knees.

I did so quickly, dropping to my knees uncaring of the natural daggers now pushing into me as I raised my hands above my head, my eyes scanning the soldiers' equipment and the ship as I did so.

It was a high tech thing, better than anything I'd ever seen before, so either airships have gotten a lot better over the last five years or this was a newer model. There was a symbol emblazoned on both the ship and the soldiers looking like a white snowflake of some kind. That rang a bell dully in my mind, I know this symbol.

Or at least I did. In the time before the island. It was hard to remember those times hear, they only made it more painful so I forced myself not to remember them, to cut them off and make surviving the island my only concern.

I think it started with an…S…Maybe?

Snow Corporation?

I've got no idea.

And I honestly don't care what they're called.

They're here.

That's all that matters.

I felt my grip on the bow slacken as I collapsed to the side, my eyes spinning as I did so.

Oof.

That hurt.

Guess I must have pushed myself harder than I thought.

Rookie mistake.

Through blurry eyes I saw someone else walk down off the ship another blur of white, that was shorter and yet whiter? I frowned as my brain tried to make sense of the jumbled sensory data. That didn't sound right.

The new person barked garbled commands at the soldiers in white who quickly sprung to attention marching over to me and carefully lifting me up and began making their way back onto the airship.

It's happening.

I'm going home.

And at that my eyes lost the fight to stay open and only darkness remained.

_BEEP_

_…__._

_…__._

_…__._

_BEEP_

_…_

_…_

_BEEP_

_…_

_BEEP_

_BEEP_

_BEEP_

_BEEPBEEP_

_BEEPBEEPBEEP_

Oh shut up already.

My eyes opened slowly flinching away from the bright light as they did so. Ow. "Easy son, take it slow, you're in  
>no rush." A voice said beside me low and with a hint of gravel. My body felt slow and heavy, every movement taking an age to complete. I was drugged. I remembered this sensation.<p>

I couldn't see who was next to me yet, but there voice told me a great deal. Male, Late 50's at the earliest, genuinely empathic. As my eyes adjusted I turned to see an old man dressed in a doctor's coat, a pair of heavy black glasses sitting in front of intelligent dark eyes, greying hair kept cropped short in a vaguely militaristic fashion.

I was lying in a bed, an actual bed with a _mattress_ and _sheets_, a series of cords trailing over me and attached by sticky pads to seemingly random points all over my body. A screen beside me was letting out the constant _BEEP _of before, the bouncing line that was my heartbeat following every beep.

I'd been stripped out of my clothes and was wearing a patient's gown, a needle in my arm feeding me whatever was no doubt causing this sleepy sensation. It was only slight but I could feel the floor rock slightly, even on the bed. Not constant enough to be the swell of the ocean. Ah, wait. I'm still on the airship then.

The doctor remained silent as I scanned the room before speaking up as my eyes focused on him once again. "I'm Doctor Swineheart." The man said calmly introducing himself as his eyes scanned his tablet which had a series of moving graphs dancing across it. I guess that must be about me, probably. "How much do you remember?" He asked his eyes looking back up from the diagnostics and back into my own.

I went to speak, and opened my mouth, my lips cracking as they did so. "An airship landed on the island." I whispered softly with my bone dry lips, trying to whet them with non-existing saliva as I did so.

Dr Swineheart quickly passed me a glass of water which I took thankfully. I forced myself not to gorge on it and drank down the whole glass at a swift but not frantic pace. "We saw your signal as we were passing by and came down to investigate. We found you on the beach but you collapsed and Ms. Schnee had the security team take you on board for treatment.

I blinked slowly at that, my hazy mind trying to make sense of the information that I had been dealt by the doctor. That name was important. It was the…ergh…wait no I've got it. "Schnee Corporation?" I rasped, the water doing little to smooth my out of practice voice.

Dr Swineheart nodded. "The same. Since the closest continent is Vytal we're making our way towards Vale Central Hospital to continue your care. What is your name, son?" The doctor asked his eyes searching mine for signs of fatigue or stress.

My name?

It's been a long time since I've said my name.

Or even thought of it.

Just like everything else before the island it reminded me of what was beyond reach, so I had to stop myself from  
>using it.<p>

To survive Tartarus I couldn't be the boy who had washed up on the island. He would have died years ago. I had to forge myself into a weapon, a sword that cut down anything which tried to kill me on the island, hard steel that could survive the cold and loneliness.

And the Grimm.

Even in my drugged state I felt my hands clench into tight fists at that. Words cannot describe the depths of the hatred I feel for the Grimm. But the island had long since taught me that such hot anger serves only to burn oneself if you let it go. It must be controlled by you, or it will kill you faster than any Grimm could.

"My name…" I said my voice quiet at first but firm and unyielding like solid steel. The child that was marooned on the island is gone. I am all that remains.

"Is Jaune Arc."

At that my eyes started fluttering again, a sure sign of whatever was in the IV working its magic and sending me back towards the realm of unconsciousness. I struggled feebly, fighting to try to stay awake a little longer.

The doctor had already seen it and pushed softly down on my chest, but to my drug addled body it mas as well have been a mountain. "Go back to sleep Jaune." Dr Swineheart's voice said, sounding distorted as if I was hearing it underwater. "You're going to be alright."

I was going to see her again.

Darkness.

The door to the infirmary slid open and Dr Silber Swineheart stepped out feeling several years older than when he had stepped in.

That poor boy. When they had stripped Jaune of his filthy clothes and into the gown they had revealed the horrific scars lying beneath them, monuments to the pain and suffering he had undergone on that island.

Those were no ordinary wounds. Silber had not seen wounds like that since the war, thick painful scars inflicted by the weapons of man and faunus rather than that of the soulless Grimm. He was an army surgeon back then who treated all patients, be they faunus or human and did everything he could to ensure they survived. Life was the greatest gift one ever received and he ensured that it did not fade away into the darkness.

Silber was not usually a man of violence but seeing those wounds… He slammed a clenched fist into the wall of the airship, his teeth bared. Well there's always exceptions to the rule.

And the way his eyes had looked at him, the steel in those eyes. Those were not the eyes of a child.

The distinctive sound of clicking heels steadily approached and Silber schooled his expression into that of the professional ex-war doctor once more. "Ms Schnee." Silber said respectfully, tilting his head slightly as he did so.

Ms Schnee was young, impeccably dressed in the sheer white that all members of the Schnee family seemed to favour and appeared to have all the personality of a frozen glacier. However Silber had been a part of the Schnee household for most of the heiress' life and knew the warmth that was hidden behind her seemingly cold exterior. "How is he?" She asked, the he in this question readily apparent as she stared at Jaune through the one way glass as he slept on the infirmary bed.

Silber bit back a sigh as he thought of how exactly to word the extent of Jaune's condition. "He looks like he's been through a war." Silber informed her bringing up a small list of the boy's injuries as he did so. "He's got scar tissue across the majority of his body, signs of broken bones that he's had to set without any medical equipment and that's all I can say with the limited medical equipment here in the infirmary. He needs to be at a hospital for us to ascertain the full scale of this." Silber informed her clinically, drawing from years of experience in dealing with all sorts of injuries and maladies. "Despite that he appears to be in near perfect physical condition, his muscle tone is damn near exemplary." He shook his head lightly before focusing on Ms Schnee once more. "I've contacted my old team at Vale Central. They're readying a room and warming up the CT machine. We'll be ready to go as soon as we get there."

Ms Schnee nodded decisively. "Very well doctor, I'll inform the captain to increase our air speed." She said turning and walking towards the cockpit before she stopped and whirled around to face him once more. "Do we know his name?" She asked quietly, the concern she had been hiding under her façade plain to his practiced ears.

Silber nodded. "His name is Jaune Arc." He replied before opening he door to the infirmary and stepping inside once more, ever the diligent doctor when it came to his patient.

Ms Schnee mulled over the boy's name as she pulled out her scroll and informed the captain to increase their speed ending the call before more than a respectful "Gladly Ms W..." could be uttered. She had heard that name, the name Arc before but she couldn't put any information to go with the name she apparently remembered. Shrugging internally she chose to see what information she could find on him on the CCT. Being an heiress to the family that helped make the CCT had its benefits including all the ships in the Schnee air fleet having their own personal CCT terminal aboard the vessel.

She walked into the Eiszapfen's communication room and started a call to Schnee Corporation headquarters in Atlas. The screen remained blank for a few moments before the screen was filled with one of the Schnee employee's manning the desk back at Atlas, already aware of who was calling through the private channel.

"Hello Ms Schnee, how can I help you today?" The woman said brightly, a slight smile on her face as she seemed to beam enthusiasm into the terminal. Ms Schnee was nonplussed long since used to the routine.

"I want you to find me all the information you can about a person named Jaune Arc." Ms Schnee said firmly, idly filing a nail as she did so.

"Certainly Ms Schnee, do you have any information you can give me about Mr Arc?"

"Blonde, Blue eyes. Less than twenty."

"Alrighty then. And….there here we g…oh my."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, Ms Schnee, just…sad. It was in all the papers a few years back. One of the Schnee Passenger Airships travelling to Vytal was attacked by a murder of Nevermore mid-flight and the plane crashed into the middle of the ocean. Mr Arc was one of the passengers on board the flight. There were no survivors ever recovered. It's the reason your father funded the creation of the Bullheads."

Ms Schnee stopped at that looking over the article that had been sent by the Schnee employee. It was a newspaper detailing the tragedy of Passenger Airship Strom, dated over five years ago.

"That will be all." She said shortly and ended the call before the woman could talk any further and sat down on the chair.

Five years.

He'd survived on that desolate rock for _five_ whole years?

Since he was twelve?

That spoke of more than just simple luck or chance.

That was will, sheer determination to survive, a fortitude beyond that of any other man except her father.

Her lip curled upwards slightly as she laid a hand on the image of a twelve year old Jaune smiling cheesilly, almost completely different from that of the scarred hardened individual sleeping in the medbay. The boy had been thrust into the crucible and dragged himself out as a warrior, a survivor.

And she'd examined the arrows that he'd had with him when he collapsed on the beach, the natural unprocessed dust rock he'd used to make his arrowheads. He'd been able to channel enough aura into it that it was able to detonate. It would take more aura than even she had to so much as _attempt_ to do that. And he had learned how to do it seemingly on his own.

"You interest me, Jaune Arc."


	2. Ashibumi 1-2

Ashibumi 1.2

Glynda Goodwitch grunted as she felt her back slam in to the hard wall behind her but forced herself to land on her feet, twirling to the side as she did so to avoid the lighting fast thrust that blurred into where she was on the wall not moments ago.

She dodged and weaved trying to create some room between her and her opponent but the attacks were relentless, a peerless flurry of rapid thrusts, each strike aimed to perfection forcing Glynda to treat each oncoming blow as if it could be her last.

This had been going on for over five minutes now and while on a regular opponent she may be able to find an exploit, against this one there was no such hope. Glynda was currently pushing her body to it's limit with her self-acceleration glyph and her opponent was still leaving her in the dust with her out of this world natural speed.

Then in a flash it was over, a lightly armored leg sweeping out without warning knocking Glynda off her feet, while the tip of a rapier pinned Glynda's riding crop to the floor just as she herself landed on it and before she could rise to her feet she felt the tip of the second rapier pressing lightly against her throat.

A killing blow.

Then the blades withdrew, her opponent sheathing her weapons before extending a hand down to the fallen Glynda.

Glynda gratefully took the hand, letting out a sigh as she did so. "Looks like you win again Charlotte." Glynda remarked, examining her riding crop for any permanent damage. "Although if you weren't so close to me all the time, I would have had you with my first salvo."

Charlotte grinned, pulling a stray blonde hair back into her mid length ponytail as she did so. "Thus why I don't let you get away from me, Glynda. I don't intent to be target practice." Charlotte said with a soft smile, her dark purple eyes warm but still betraying the pain that had been following the huntress all these years.

Glynda and Charlotte had become fast friends ever since Charlotte had first taken up a position as an instructor here at Beacon Academy. Gylnda had been rather starved for female company among the staff, as the only other female instructor Professor Peach always seemed to be gallivanting off somewhere in search of different flora.

Admittedly Charlotte hadn't precisely wanted much in the way of company in the beginning. Back then she was almost unrecognisable from the woman standing before Glynda now, a woman with such a frosty personality that Glynda's own personality seemed to be sunny in comparison.

But Glynda was nothing of not persistent and after some time came Charlotte's frozen exterior slowly thawed and the two became friends and confidants. But still even now Glynda sometimes found herself in awe of her colleague's sheer physical prowess.

Charlotte was one of the rare few hunters or huntresses that went without any firearm as part of their weapon. Instead she wielded two intricate rapiers, one in each hand and danced across the field with eye-raising speed.

Even more incredible was the fact that this speed was not the result of her semblance but rather purely through her _physical_ capabilities. Although her petite frame didn't suggest it she was stronger than most men dreamed possible, and faster than seemed conceivable.

She was also broken, shattered from a terrible loss that pained her to this day. She was afflicted by what most said was the worst pain a woman could go through, and even worse did not even have anything to lay to rest, anything to provide a sense of resolution, of an end to it all. All that remained was the memories of a life that had been ripped apart and the constant reminders that her house bought about.

That was why she had joined Beacon's staff. As a way to forget, to force herself to think of something other than _that_ day.

Of what was lost.

And for the most part it worked. She worked with the children, whipped them into to shape, spent time with Glynda and got on with her life.

But sometimes she still woke up in the dead of night, dreams of him reaching out for her, crying for her as he fell, her screaming his name in agony only to wake up drenched in sweat, shaking.

Those nights, nights like tonight were when she called up Glynda and asked her to spar with her, to make her think of something else.

And like the good friend she was Glynda dropped everything and came, uncaring of the lateness of the hour to be there for her friend in her time of need.

Glynda never asked what she dreamed about and Charlotte was thankful for that. It was painful enough remembering it the first time, it threatened to tear her apart if she said it aloud.

Suddenly the light banter between the two friends stopped as a familiar high pitched beeping filled the air, emanating from their scrolls.

A call to both of them. And not any call, that distinctive ringtone said it was an urgent one, and there was only one person in Beacon who sent out calls like that.

Charlotte opened her scroll, answering the call, a third window showing that Glynda was also part of the conversation.

The connection stabilized to reveal Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy with an expression on his face unlike any they'd seen on him before.

"You two need to get down to Vale Central Hospital now." Ozpin said, the background of the screen showing that is where her was. "Something's happened."

Glynda frowned. "Vale Central? Are some of the students injured? Why aren't they here at the infirmary?" Glynda asked, trying to ascertain the reasoning behind Ozpin's bizarre command.

Ozpin's next words silenced any other possible questions. "They found him Charlotte." Ozpin said staring over his spectacles into Charlotte's eyes. "They've found Jaune. He's alive."

Charlotte let out a choked gasp and swayed as if she had been struck by a great blow, the scroll clattering out of her suddenly lifeless grip.

Alive.

He was alive!

Before Glynda could finish so much as the first word in the sentence that was no doubt a question concerning how she was, she blurred forward throwing the door open with such force she nearly ripped it off it's hinges as she raced with her inhuman speed across the campus, speeding towards Vale Central hospital with greater speed than any common vehicle could hope to match, a slower Glynda following in her wake.

Hold on Jaune.

I'll be there soon.

Ozpin shut his scroll, and gazed into the room at the miraculously returned Jaune Arc, currently looking far cleaner than he did previously, his long dirty matted hair abandoned as unsalvageable, nor replaced with a much closer cut that left pure blonde as opposed to the dirt clad mess from before.

He was standing, staring out the window that led into Vale proper, as he had been for the last five minutes in near complete silence. Ozpin turned to another familiar face as he looked at Silber Swineheart stepping forward, flicking through the results that had returned from the scans.

"What extent are we looking at Silber?" Ozpin asked simply, taking a sip of his coffee as he did so. It may an ungodly hour right now but Ozpin needed to be awake for this.

"To put it simply, bad." Sliber said drinking from his own mug as he did so. "Over twenty percent of his body is covered in scar tissue. There are second degree burns on his back and arms. X-rays show that he's broken at least half the bones in his body, but his aura appears to have prevented any permanent damage in that case."

"He still hasn't said anything else?" Ozpin asked staring intently at the scarred survivor on the other side of the glass.

"Not a word." Silber affirmed quietly before he put down the notes with a sigh, massaging his brow with one hand. "It feels like I've stepped back into the war all over again old friend." Silber mused shaking his head lightly then he looked back up at Ozpin, his eyes refocused. "You've told her?"

"Of course." Ozpin nodded swirling the coffee in his mug slowly. "Shouldn't I have?"

Silber looked at Ozpin for a moment before he let out a sigh. "You should at least…prepare her." Silber said haltingly, continuing on in the face of Ozpin's raised brow. "The Jaune she lost…may not be the one that they found." He finished with a grimace on his face as he said it.

Ozpin let out a sigh of his own at that, closing his eyes. "I know Silber, God help me I know."

Ozpin knew the Jaune that stood in the next room was a changed person.

He'd have to be.

No-one could survive in a place like Tartarus as a normal person, much less a child of twelve.

And he'd been there for _five_ consecutive _years_.

It was almost inconceivable, and yet there he was, the proof given flesh.

Then there was the sounds of a commotion downstairs without warning and Jaune spun and reached for a weapon that wasn't there in a bizarrely familiar movement.

Ozpin frowned.

Was that…what he thought it was?

There was the sound of muffled shouts from the corridor outside and then the door was flung of its hinges, the body which had been used to knock it out of its frame crumpling to the floor.

"Get out of my way." A voice growled with all the warmth of an arctic blizzard and the remaining guards quickly scrambled away from the terrifying visage before them.

Charlotte stalked into the room, her feet barely touching the ground in her haste before she came to a halt as she saw Jaune standing there, a chocked cry on her lips.

Glynda primly stepped over the fallen security guard and her own eyes widend like saucers as she saw the reason for their arrival. "It's him." She breathed quietly.

Charlotte grabbed the handle for the door into Jaune's room, hesitated for a moment before she opened the door slowly and stepped inside.

She stood there for a moment in silence as Jaune continued to stare out into the many lights of the city at night before she spoke up, her voice choked with emotion. "Jaune?" she asked, tears glistening in her eyes.

Jaune turned around slowly, Charlotte's eyes taking in every inch of the now muscle clad teen before he stopped and looked at her, a smile growing on his face and his eyes lighting up. "Mom." Jaune breathed quietly, a hint of wonder still present in his voice.

Charlotte let out a cry and rushed forward, holding Jaune in a desperate hug, tears streaming down her face. Before his head would rest below her but now her son towered over her, having grown into his father's height in the years apart. "My beautiful boy!" She cried, shaking as she held her long lost son.

Jaune said nothing as he held onto his mother just as tightly, an almost forgotten sense of joy and a realisation that everything was going to be all right, just like when he was still a child in his mother's arms.

She'd found him.

He was home.

Charlotte stepped out of the room, a smile on her face, feeling happier than she had since that terrible day all those years ago.

He was alive.

He was _alive_!

Her son was alive!

She saw that Ozpin and Glynda were talking with someone, most likely the head of the security tea, she had mauled in her rush to get to Jaune's side but she honestly didn't care about that. She turned to the doctor intent on thanking him profusely for finding her son, who instead shook his head, waving off her thanks.

"Just doing my job madam. If you want I can introduce you to the one who found him." He said motioning to the person standing with Ozpin and GLynda. "Allow me to introduce my employer, the heiress of the Schnee Corperation Ms…"

"Winter." Charlotte hissed out, the smile on her face vanishing the instant she saw who it was that was standing with her colleagues.

Winter Schnee seemed taken aback by the sudden hostility but then smiled as she saw who it was. "Well, well, I have to admit I did not see this one coming." Winter remarked staring at Charlotte with a twitching lip before her eyes lit up as another revelation became apparent. "He's your _son_." She breathed before a smirk replaced her twitching lip. "Well that explains a great deal."

Swineheart looked taken aback, as did Glynda but Ozpin watched the proceedings with his usual unshakable demeanour. "I take it you know each other?" Ozpin asked idly.

"We were partners, once upon a time." Winter informed him lightly, her eyes locked on Charlotte. "But then one day she quit without warning, vanished into the wind for no reason I could think of." Her eyes turned to Jaune with a new level of fascination. "Well that's one mystery solved."

Charlotte's glare became even more hostile. "Stay. Away. From him." She breathed slowly, her clenched fists shaking from the intensity of her emotions.

Winter laughed lightly at that. "Honestly that's the thanks I get for saving his life?" She said with a dry chuckle. "And honestly my dear, hypocrisy does not become you Charlotte. Not with your _illustrious _family line anyway."

Charlotte flinched at that, turning away from the smirking heiress. Winter revelled in her victory for the moment before walking towards the door, stopping at the frame and looking back at her old partner. "We'll have to have tea later Charlotte, as one heir to another."

And with that Winter walked out of the room, the rest of her security detail quickly following after her.


	3. Ashibumi 1-3

Ashibumi 1.3

I stared out at my surroundings as I stepped out of the car, my eyes taking in the strange new landscape around me.

So this was it.

This was Beacon Academy, the place I had dreamed of going ever since I had heard mom's fond recollections of meeting father there at a exchange trip from Atlas.

The place my mother now worked and lived at as an instructor, teaching the new generation how to be Hunters.

Mom looked very different from how I remembered her last time, waving me off on at school in a simple sundress and a large hat. Now she looked like a warrior, dressed in a combination of a light blue robes along with a few pieces of strategically placed white armor with intricate engravings. The breastplate bore the Arc Crest, the two curved yellow lines standing out prominently on the white metal. And the rapiers that I'd previously only seen mounted over the fireplace now rested easily, strapped by her sides.

I'd had to stay within Vale General Hospital for several hours as we waited for the results to come back from the blood tests, ensuring that I wasn't afflicted with any diseases or viruses during my time on the island and by the time I'd received my clean bill of health, the sun had just begun peaking over the horizon.

From there the man I now knew as Professor Ozpin, The headmaster of the academy and my mother's boss bought a car around to the back to avoid a torrent of reporters who had camped out the front of the hospital, their cameras clicking away like machine guns when I stumbled upon them, a dozen shouted questions blurring together as they tried to approach me before Hospital security had forced them outside.

I was confused. Why were these people so interested in me? I was nobody of any particular importance, just someone who was lost and then found again.

My mother's colleague Glynda informed me. Apparently one of the hospital staff had leaked the fact that I was staying here, and the newsrooms promptly went crazy with it, trying to find out as much as the could about 'the miracle survivor of the Schnee Flight Strom Tragedy.'

Which sadly seemed to include my name, and my face that was now plastered across the front of the newspaper.

I bit back a sigh. Well that was just…perfect.

Ms Schnee left me a message saying she had to continue on back to the Schnee Headquarters back at Atlas, but promised she'd keep in touch. It's the least I could do for the person who got me back home, so if she wants to keep in touch, I'll happily do so.

I started slightly as I felt a touch on my arm, but restrained myself from instinctively reacting to it, seeing it was only Mom, looking at me with an encouraging smile. "Come on, I'll show you your room." She said with a soft smile, giving my shoulder a squeeze as she did so.

I walked forward after her, my eyes scanning the many windows of the buildings as we went past them almost instinctively, looking for possible threats, points that would grant you a greater advantage as opposed to others.

I didn't see anyone. Not a single person. Odd, you'd think that Beacon would be packed with students about now.

Ozpin spoke up from where he was walking behind us. "We're just at the final few weeks of the end of year break, which means all the students have gone home for the next three to four weeks, depending on how long they choose to stay." Ozpin informed me idly, seemingly foreseeing my question before I had even asked it.

"The only people at Beacon currently are ourselves and a few other members of the staff who we'll introduce to you later." Glynda promised trying to subtlety watch me out of the corner of her eye as she did so. She wasn't very good at it and by the smirk Ozpin was hiding behind his mug, I wasn't the only one who thought so.

I felt Mom's hand squeeze my shoulder reassuringly again. I guess I still look a little tense. "In here, we're almost there."

We turned off to the left to a building that was separate from the school proper, seeming more like an apartment complex than a school.

"Here we are." Ozpin remarked before turning to me and gesturing at the building with his cane. "This is Beacon's Staff accommodations, where we all try and get some shut eye after a long day's work. Or at least everyone else does, I usually find myself falling asleep at my office half the time." Ozpin said with a chuckle.

Mom spoke up. "Your room is 206, the sixth room on the second floor." She said pointing to the window that I'm presuming lead into my room. "My room is right next door, room 205, so feel free to come in whenever you need anything."

I felt a small smile tug at my lips. "It's perfect." I said quietly, soaking in the sounds of the Beacon nightlife. It was a very peaceful place, even only listening with ones ears it suggested that much. I'd forgotten that a place could even be this calm.

Glynda coughed lightly, drawing me out of my musings. "Also we have an area set aside downstairs for training and sparring, feel free to use it whenever you want."

Training area. Well that saves time.

Mom walked ahead beckoning me to follow her, "Let's go put your stuff away shall we." She said a her eyes dragging over the case in my hands for a moment before returning back to me.

And the case. The one thing that I bought back with me from the island. It held several of the 'souvenirs' I'd collected from my time on the island, among them the bow that had been by my side for the grand majority of it.

But it was a shoddy thing, crafted with whatever materials I could find at the time to repair it, whenever it inevitably broke again from whatever latest trauma I put it through.

I needed a new bow.

Luckily I knew just where to get one.

Not buy one per say, but rather forge one.

With the help of the man who forged _his_ weapon.

Although there's no way he'd help me without the sign.

I felt my fingers tense involuntarily on the box as I heard something metallic bounce around inside it.

Good thing I have it.

Just hope he's still where he was ten years ago, otherwise finding him could be a bit difficult. He's the kind of man who values his anonymity, and won't be found in the directory.

I was pulled from my internal monologue by the sound of a door opening, and realized that we'd arrived at my new room. Looks like Ozpin and Glynda are gone as well.

Uh, whoops.

The room was nice, very spacious if a little bare at the moment. A queen sized bed taking pride of place with a walk in closet off to the side, an en-suite bathroom nearby. There was an empty bookcase standing next to a desk, which had a computer and some kind of device sitting on the center of the desk.

I whistled lowly. Wow. Guess there's a reason why everyone wants to go to Beacon. I placed my box at the foot of the bed with a thump, the padlock rattling as it bounced around.

"Ah, yes, before I forget, this is your Scroll." Mom said walking over to the desk and picking up the device and handing it to me.

I twirled it in my hands, looking for any buttons or switched but the only identifiable one was the large yellow diamond in the center of it. I pressed the diamond and the device expanded suddenly, revealing the screen that had been collapsed within it. Icons appeared on the screen, depicting things like a phone, a musical note or a compass.

"You can use your Scroll to contact me or any of the others, as well as connect to the internet." Mom said looking at me with that content smile she'd had on her face before she spun around. "I've going to go pick up a few of your old things from storage, but I'll be back soon so just relax until then okay?"

I nodded and Mom gave me another tight hug, before she calmly walked out of the room.

I sat down on my bed and stopped as I realized that action. I had a _bed_. I had a _room_. This was…well it was good but it was very different from what I was used to. I sat on the bed and almost flinched away as it sunk slightly, as if I was sitting on a cushion. It was going to take some time for me to get used to sleeping on something this soft again.

But since this….'Scroll' was it? Yes Scroll, can access the internet I can see if the forge is still where it was before.

I typed in the address slowly, my fingers out of practice at the art of typing before I pressed the enter button. The scroll was blank for a moment before it loaded, showing the address, it's location on the map as well as the name of the business that operated there.

I grinned. Bingo.

I checked the website only to find that the store wasn't open today, but it would open briefly tomorrow for a few hours.

Looks like I'll be heading down to Vale tomorrow.

I closed that window and opened a new one hoping to catch up on what I'd missed over the past five years on the island when I nearly dropped the Scroll when I saw my face on the news headlines. When I felt my heart rate descend down into something more non-lethal I tapped the screen and waited for the video to load.

The video began, showing a reporter talking into a microphone, standing outside the Beacon Academy gates.

"This is Cyril Cerulean coming to you live from outside Beacon Academy, where we've been informed Jaune Arc is currently residing. For those of you just joining the program Jaune Arc is the miraculous survivor of the Schnee Flight Strom tragedy that was discovered late last night, having survived for five years on a desolate island. We've received no statement yet from either Beacon Academy or the boy's mother Charlotte Arc, an instructor at Beacon Academy in light of Mr Arc's discovery and his new residency at the premier hunter academy. I'll be reporting in later in the program if any new developments arise, thank you Lisa."

"Thank you Cyril. And from all of us here on the VNN this is Lisa Lavender signing off, join us tonight for the 6.30 report."

I sat there staring at the tablet, even as the video finished up and promptly closed itself.

Huh.

That was….

Well that was something.

I'm still working out if that was a good something or a bad something but it was most definitely a something.

I threw the Scroll onto the bed and knelt down by the box examining the padlock. Now I know that a few people probably tried to get into the box while I was unconscious but the lock was a lot more stubborn than it looked. Wouldn't have mattered if they tried every code on the dial anyway. The dials just there to trick you anyway.

I pulsed my aura briefly and the lock clicked open, the dust crystal within twirling the otherwise immoveable tumblers. I pulled the lock off and opened the crate, looking down at what was inside. A few of my hand crafted arrows, my bow, a few other more obscure fragments but I honestly didn't care about those. I reached in and retrieved the item I was looking for, locking the box again before lying down on the bed.

It was a audio recorder, one of the classic old style versions that you could recharge with nothing more than your aura. I closed my eyes as my thumb ghosted across the device's face, pressing down on the play button so I could here his last message to me again.

_"__Hey there kid. If your listening to this then in all likelihood I'm dead by now. Don't mourn me kid. I did a lot of terrible things in my time. Left behind a lot of bodies along the way. Didn't do much good in the end. Heh. How stupid is that? But one of the few thing's in this life I don't regret is meeting you kid._

_I thought you were dead when you first washed up on this island, but you even then you fought, you refused to let your life leave you, you dragged yourself out of the water before you collapsed onto that beach. You're more than just stubborn kid. You're driven. You've got the kind of determination that's rarely seen these days, the resolution to get things done, regardless of the difficulty of the task at hand._

_I want to warn you kid. To tell you to turn away, to not follow in my footsteps, not to make my mistake. But you've__got something that I didn't have when I started out kid. Something more important than any amount of resolve._

_You've got heart kid. You care about other people, you'll stick up for them, you'll fight for them, with or without their permission because you think it's the right thing to do. Don't worry. I've taught you everything you need to know to survive on the island kid. You'll thrive here, I have no doubt._

_But there will come a day when your isolation ends kid. When you'll re-join the world, re-join your old life. Take the advice of an old man kid. Don't force yourself to be something you're not. Just do what comes naturally and it'll all work itself out._

_Now you're going to need a weapon better than that peashooter you've got now when you get back so I'm going to give you a hand. In the city of Vale, you'll find a forge named the Steel of Valhalla. Go inside and ask for Wayland. Tell him you're there to redeem Gram for the old fool. Show him the crest. He'll help you make a mighty weapon fit for you._

_Godspeed Jaune. Something tells me your going to need it."_


	4. Ashibumi 1-4

Ashibumi 1.4

Charlotte walked out of her room with a stretch, rolling her shoulders as she rubbed some errant sleep put of her eyes.

By the time she had gotten back to Beacon from the storage unit and barged her way past the media she'd entered Jaune's room only to find him fast asleep curled up on the floor, shivering slightly from the breeze coming in from the open window.

She'd stood there for a moment in silence watching her son sleep, before she pulled the blanket off the bed and draped it over him, his shivers ceasing as he did so.

She watched him for a while longer before her own fatigue made itself apparent, and the fact she didn't sleep last night making this even more prevalent she turned and walked back to her room, placing Jaune's inheritance by the door before she left.

She walked down to the Staff's combination Gym and sparring arena to start her regular morning workout before coming to a stop as she came across an unusual addition.

Ozpin stood in the center of the Gym, drinking his coffee from his ever present mug, his eyes hidden behind his spectacles. "Good morning Charlotte" Ozpin called over his shoulder, not moving an inch from his position.

Charlotte approached Ozpin, eyeing him with a hint of suspicion. "What are you doing down here? You are never here this early." Charlotte noted, eyeing his regular attire as she did so.

"Oh just indulging some idle curiosity, that's all." Ozpin admitted, gesturing with his mug slightly. Then he turned his head upwards and let out a small smile. "Although I have to say, he's certainly your son."

Charlotte looked up and nearly felt her heart stop before she managed to calm herself down.

There high above them both was Jaune, wearing a pair of loose sweatpants she'd left in the room earlier, his hands holding on tightly to a familiar steel bar as he pulled himself up silently before letting himself down again. He was covered in a slight sheen of perspiration but other than that seemed perfectly at ease as he performed pull ups from the top rung of the cradle.

His shirtless torso was littered with a variety of scars and marks from her son's time on the island but what was more readily apparent was precisely how in shape her son was now, a clearly defined eight pack flexing with every pull.

She looked down and saw that he'd bought the little gift she'd left in his room last night down with him and let out a small grin.

Time to see if he took after his father when it came to weapons.

"Jaune! Down here!"

112…

113…

114…

"Jaune! Down here!"

I was roused from the simple monotony of my exercise by the sound of Mom's voice and looked down to see her and Ozpin standing in the center of the room looking up at me.

Better go say hello.

With a grunt of exertion I pulled myself up in the air and lifted the bar up out of it's cradle, dropping to the ground with a 'thump', my legs bending slightly to dissipate the force from the drop.

"Good morning Mom, good morning Ozpin." I said with a slight nod, my new hairstyle preventing the hair that would no doubt be otherwise covering my eyes from the sweat.

Ozpin raised his mug in a silent returned greeting, a slight smile on his face as mom stared at me for a moment before shaking herself out of her stupor. "What are you doing here so early in the morning Jaune?" She asked, concern present in her voice.

Ooh.

I kind of feel a bit bad now, she sounds worried.

"Force of habit." I admitted with a shrug, pulling the face washer I'd stuffed into my pocket earlier out and wiping my face clean of sweat. "I've been getting up this early to train for a while now, and I guess it's just a part of the routine."

"Oh." Mom said at that her eyes filled with something I couldn't quite describe as she remained silent before she changed the subject. "I see you've picked up what I dropped off in your room last night." She said her eyes brightening.

Yeah.

That was certainly a familiar piece of the past.

The few memories I have left of my father usually have this as a starring roll within them, with him letting me play with the shield, or helping him clean the sword as we talked about his latest adventures in the wide wonderful world.

Crocea Mors.

The Yellow Death.

The traditional weapon of all Arc children since it was first wielded by my Great-Grandfather during the last great Grimm War.

And now I supposed, it was mine.

"I always use to play with this with Dad." I remembered aloud, the scene of the two of us before the fireplace, me holding on tight to the sheathed sword as Dad retold his latest exciting tale, complete with hand gestures and sound effects before Mom came in and called us away for dinner.

I bought up Crocea Mors and stared at it for a moment, the shining metal just as resplendent as it had been all those years ago. Then I gripped the blue grip tightly and pulled it from it's sheathe.

The blade seemed to sing with joy as I moved it through the air, eager to be wielded once more, to have purpose once again.

I considered extending the sheathe into it's shield form but decided against it instead walking to the wall and leaning it against it, due to the fact my casual sweats couldn't exactly hold the sheathe up.

I looked down at the blade twirling it slowly as I did so before I stopped and raised myself up onto my toes.

Time to put you through your paces Crocea Mors.

I surged forward, the blade leveled straight in a rapid thrust that transitioned into a deflection of an imaginary blow, my body twisting around it, the edge of the sword slicing down and cutting through the imaginary figures Achilles rendering them a non-combatant.

Then I ducked, my blade angled to deflect any incoming blows skyward before I stepped inside my invisible opponents swing, my free hand stopping his own blow from gaining any momentum while the flat of my blade smashed into their face.

I moved again, my blade raised high to deliver another blow when suddenly my senses screamed out at me and I twisted out of the way of one blow, Crocea Mors swinging back to knock the second one aside as I did so.

I looked up to see Mom looking at me, a bemused smile on her face with two practice swords in her hand held in a well practiced grip. "Just like your father, in a world of your own." Mom said with a sigh but a proud gleam was present in her eyes.

Ozpin on the other hand clapped slowly, his mug vanished from his hands, his cane tucked under one arm. "Quite the display Mr Arc." He praised his applause slowly ceasing. "Most definitely your mother's son."

I felt myself flush at that, and I turned away a bit embarrassed but also pleased to hear the comparison. It felt _good_ to hear that, to know that even with all the time away from each other I was still _her_ son.

Then I remembered what I had intended to do today and calmed myself down.

"Um, Mom? Would it be okay if I went down to the city today? There's a few things I want to look into."

Mom looked at me for a moment before she sighed and threw her practice swords back to their cradle casually, the two swords soaring through the air before coming to rest. "What do you want to do down there Jaune?" She asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Explore the city a bit I guess. That and I wanted to head down to one of the Weapon shops I saw online. It said they do customized creations so I wanted to see what their stock was like."

Ozpin looked intrested at this. "Oh? What forge were you thinking of."

"Steel of Valhalla. It looked pretty good on the site."

"Ah." Ozpin said with a knowing look in his eye and then he turned to Mom who was looking a bit concerned at this point. "What a coincidence, I need to head down to Vale today anyway for some matters of my own. I need to see our local dust supplier about the quality of the last shipment we received. I can take Jaune down with me when I go."

Okay.

That was…

Well that was pretty much what I've been picturing Ozpin as from what I've observed of him so far, perfectly genial looking with a smile on his face but always with a plan at the ready.

Mom stepped forward and gave me a little reassuring squeeze. "If you like I can come too." Mum half stated half asked looking at me with a hopeful expression.

Ozpin chuckled at that. "You're not getting out of your paperwork that easily Charlotte. When I said it was due by the end of today, four weeks ago, I meant it."

Mum choked slightly at this, seemingly remembering the fact that she had to do paperwork.

Ah yes and this is certainly reminiscent. Mom forgetting a deadline and then having to rush around at the last minute to finish it on time.

Like the time she forgot about my first day of school.

Or the field trip.

Or Father's day.

Or her own wedding anniversary.

Long story short, mom is _really_ bad with remembering dates.

In a league of her own.

Mom unfroze slowly and let out a despondent sigh. "I'll get right on it." She groused lightly before she swooped forward and grabbed me in another tight hug. "I'll see you tonight honey. I love you."

I hugged Mom back. "I love you too Mom." I said with a smile.

I don't think I'm ever going to get over being able to say that again.

Ozpin turned and started walking out of the gym, his cane clacking loudly every time it touched the ground. "I'll meet you out the front when you have a shower and get changed Jaune." He called over his shoulder as he rounded the corner.

I looked down at myself and inhaled briefly.

I didn't smell anything wrong.

Mom disagreed. "Shower. Now."

"Yes Ma'am".

I watched the buildings blur by through the tinted windows of the car, the sun blazing away on a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky.

Professer Ozpin's hand came down to shift gears every so often but he never had to take his eyes off the road, the gear shift occurring with all the ease of one moving one's own body.

"Jaune." Ozpin started suddenly drawing my attention away from the surroundings and back to the man sitting in the driver's seat of the car. "I just want you to know if there ever comes a time when you need to talk to someone about anything, my door will always be open."

Ah…

O-kay then….

"Thank you?" I said hesitantly, a slight questioning tone as to why he'd bought this up present in my reply.

Ozpin easily picked up my tone. "Jaune what you have undergone these past few years was unlikely to have been a entirely pleasant experience. Take it from someone who saw exactly what war can do to people, it isn't always the physical wounds that are the most dangerous, those heal in time. The marks left on our soul however…they have this horrendous habit of being more resilient."

We sat there in silence for a moment before Ozpin pulled over coming to a stop in front of my destination.

"I don't expect you to want to talk about it now Jaune." Ozpin said quietly, his grey eyes staring over his glasses into my eyes. "I know I didn't after the war. I just want you to know that if a time comes when you want to, my door is always open."

I nodded, a slightly shaky smile on my face but still grateful for what he said, he'd meant every word, I could see it in his eyes. "Thanks." I said opening the door and stepping out of the car, pulling the hood of my jacket over my head as I did so in a vain attempt to stop me from being immediately recognized by anyone that saw me walking in before I closed the door.

The window to the car slid down and Ozpin called out to me as I straightened up my outfit, tugging on my jeans and making sure my boots we're on tight enough, ensuring Crochea Mors was properly secured on my side. "Just call me on your Scroll when your done. I'll pick you up here."

And with that he pealed away from the curve, the car darting through the traffic smoothly before rounding the corner and vanishing from sight.  
>I stuck my hands in my pockets, one hand gripping on tight to the piece of metal within before I stepped up to the front door of 'Steel of Valhalla' and pushed it open, a bell ringing as I did so.<p>

And stepped into a furnace.

Or at least what felt like one.

The heat hit me like a physical blow, staggering me with its intensity before I adjusted and stepped up to the front desk. A woman with brown hair and kind blue eyes stared back at me. "Welcome to our humble forge, I'm Valka and how can we help you today?"

As she said this a conflagration of fire erupted from behind a corner where the heat was emanating, a loud curse following it.

I drew my eyes away from the commotion and looked back at Valka who seemed a few inches away from storming round the back to bludgeon whoever was responsible.

May as well just ask.

"Hi there, I was wondering if I could talk to Wayland? A friend suggested I come and see him."

Valka looked at me for a moment as if she was trying to ascertain if I had any false motives before she nodded to herself. "Wait here."

And with that she turned around and vanished around the corner where all the flames, clanging and intermittent swearing was coming from.

I patiently waited as suddenly all of the loud sounds died down and the sound of heavy footfalls came closer. The person behind the footsteps rounded the corner and I swallowed as I beheld an absolute mammoth of a man, almost more like an Ursa on two feet than a man approached. He wore stained leather clothes with a apron of the same material, covered in patches of soot, a variety of tools and hammers threaded through a series of hoops on the apron. He had a huge thick red beard that gave the impression of a burst of flame exploding from his chin, a few knots at the ends of it to keep it resembling tidy. Two dark eyes glared down at me from above the mighty beard, the glare made even more menacing by his natural height as he loomed over me. "What do you want?" He half asked, half growled at me.

I'm guessing this is Wayland.

Damn it, you bastard, why didn't you tell me he was so bloody big!?

I fought the urge to freeze under the weight of Wayland's gaze and cleared my throat before I spoke up. "I'm here to redeem Gram for the old fool."

Wayland froze. "What did you just say?" He said, his voice far quieter than it was before.

I pulled my hand out of my jacket and showed him what I had hidden within it, the medallion the old man had always worn, A blood red sword emblazoned upon it.

Wayland looked down at the medallion for what seemed like a very long time, then looked back up at me. "Valka!" The blacksmith called over his shoulder, "We're closing up early today. Something tells me this is going to be a long talk."

And that was how I met Wayland Valkyrie.


	5. Ashibumi 1-5

Ashibumi 1.5

AN: Now sort of edited! Yay!

Wayland let out a heavy sigh, his dark eyes staring into the bottom of his flagon of ale before he raised it up and took a large gulp from it, drinking almost half the alcohol within with a single swallow. "So that's where he was. Trust that bastard to be better at hiding than damn near anyone." His eyes focused on me again. "How did he die?"

There was no question of if the old man was still alive from Wayland. But then again Wayland knew the old man, he knew that I no doubt wouldn't even be here if he was still alive.

I felt my lip tug upwards at that. "With his sword in the enemy's chest, laughing his head off."

Wayland snorted. "Aye, that sounds like him. Stubborn bastard." He said it with a happy tone but his eyes held a hint of the sadness that the blacksmith felt about the death of his friend.

Valka, Wayland's wife and a professional huntress, put her hand on his, interlocking their fingers together. "You know it's what he would have wanted." Valka said, squeezing her husband's hand.

"Aye. Doesn't mean I find any joy in it. But at least he found peace before the end." Wayland mused before his eyes locked onto mine, the weight of his presence reappearing. "And you want to redeem Gram boy? That's no easy task."

I nodded firmly. "I swore it. And my word is my bond."

Wayland's cheek twitched. "Words are all well and good boy, but I think you underestimate the sheer enormity of the task before you. You do realise the depth of that man's crimes? The reason he shattered that cursed blade?"

I nodded again, my expression hardening at what he was referring to. "The Massacre at Xan Lu."

Wayland let out a spiteful "Ha!" at that. "It wasn't a massacre, it was _genocide,_ the mass slaughter of an entire faction of faunus. He's the reason there are no more dragons left boy. He's the reason the _war_ started in the first place. And you still want to try?"

I stared straight into Wayland's eyes, my gaze not faltering in the slightest. "I'm not going to try. I am going to _do _it."

The smith held my gaze for a few long moments more before he let out a laugh. "Well, you've got guts if nothing else." He grinned. "I like that in a man. Now I take it you don't want it reforged the way it was?"

I shook my head. "That was his weapon, not mine. I was thinking…"

Wayland raised his hand to silence me. "Don't talk with your mouth boy. Show me your hands." He said holding out his own.

What?

I looked at Wayland perplexed, before my gaze turned to Valka, who gestured 'go on' with a smile on her lips.

Okay then.

I held my hands forward whereupon Wayland seized them, examining them thoroughly, testing the flexibility on each of my fingers, inspecting the callouses that covered my hands, twisting and turning them and seeing how they reacted.

Then just as suddenly he released them, his hand going up to stroke his massive beard, eyes deep in thought. "Hmm. Ambidextrous but you favour your right hand over your left. Your calluses as well as your stance tells me you can wield a sword but not a two-hander like his one. A short sword maybe, no, a hand and a half sword. The set of your shoulders says you prefer to use two blades at once, then again, I should have guessed that considering who your mother is. But there's something else, another weapon. Since he was there I can only say it was a bow of some kind, heavy draw from the build of your arms and since it's uniform your ambidextrous with that too." He mused aloud almost to himself.

The entire time this was going on Wayland's other hand was frantically sketching a series of what seemed to be unintelligible scribbles all over a note pad that he had pulled from his apron. Without looking at it even once.

I felt my jaw drop slightly. "How?"

Valka laughed at my expression even as Wayland delved deeper into his scribbling. "There's a reason he's one of the best smiths in the world, Jaune. And your about to receive his first weapon in over eighteen years." She said, her eyes sparkling with something joyful as she watched her husband delve deeper into his work, his tongue poking out of the edge of his mouth as he bit his teeth into the job at hand. "Come back in a few hours. He'll be done by then."

A few _hours_?

I can see why everyone raves about this guy.

"Do you need any help?"

Valka looked at me, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Do you know how to fold a blade?"

"No."

"Operate the forge?"

"No."

"Know anything at all about smithing in the slightest?"

"…No."

Valka rolled her eyes. "Then now is not the time to start Jaune. Let him do his job. There's a reason he does it for a living you know."

I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. "Sorry."

Valka waved me off. "No harm in being polite, now away with you, we'll need an empty shop for this one."

Valka walked to the front of the store, unlocked the door and shooed me outside, locking the door behind me.

Huh.

Okay then.

What to do now?

May as well explore the city I guess.

I walked along the street confidently, my head still hidden within the hood, weaving through the crowd as I did so, my eyes taking in each sight as I passed them by. I was just another person going about their business, invisible in a sea of people.

_People don't question someone who knows where they're going kid, even if you're not. So long as you at least _look _like you know where you're headed, people won't think twice about you. Of course it helps if you blend in as well._

The city has so many people within it it's almost overwhelming, a rolling sea in a mass of ever changing colors and shapes as some people exited the crowds and new people entered them.

People sat outside cafes and talked avidly over cups of coffee, they walked hurriedly with a stack of papers under their arms, they stopped at store windows and gazed at what was inside.

I reveled in this, in the life of a city, the living breathing heart of the metropolis as it surged around me like a living wave. I looked around, breathing in the clean, sweet air, the cameraman running towards me, the cars as they blurred past on the road, the…wait.

I turned back and saw the man running towards me, a glint of recognition in his eyes and the VNN logo emblazoned on a lanyard around his neck as he tried to push his way through the crowd.

And it's time for me to get out of here.

I turned and swiftly started moving through the flow of people, darting between each gap and ensuring I didn't collide with anyone ensuring I didn't slow down in my escape but also didn't draw any further attention to myself in the process.

The VNN cameraman had no such restrictions and was gaining on me, pushing his way through the crowd and earning the ire of the people he bumped into in the process.

I wasn't going to be able to avoid him without drawing attention to myself.

I needed something, anything to break his line of sight for a few moments and then I'd be gone, just another face in the crowd.

Then there was a thump and a loud cry as someone fell to the ground, something clattering loudly on the pavement.

Just like any loud noise did, it drew the attention of the people standing around it who turned to see a girl in an expensive looking red dress on the floor, her legs encased in long laced up thigh high platforms that appeared to hook up to her skirt. The VNN cameraman had also fallen, his camera on the pavement beside him and was now being menaced by a trio of men in identical black suits, red sunglasses and tie, and a black hat, presumably for running into the girl on the ground. A fourth man, dressed just like the other three was helping the girl up off the ground, as she adjusted the fur scarf thing around her neck. She had a large feather behind one of her ears, extending into the air, contrasting with her black hair. She regained her feet, he green eyes looking out into the crowd and locked eyes with me.

Then she winked.

Before she turned around and let loose a blistering tirade at the VNN cameraman still cowering on the floor, her tone somewhere between 'bitingly cold' and 'slapped with an iceberg'.

I stood their stunned for a moment before I grinned and faded into the crowd, all chances of the VNN cameraman catching up with me evaporating.

I rounded a corner to see a limousine pulled up at the sidewalk, a large group of men all dressed like the ones from before blocking off the foot traffic, glaring at anyone who approached, a wall of bodies preventing them from approaching the area around the car.

I bit back a sigh.

Should have figured that was too easy.

Standing in front of the limo was a girl dressed in a similar outfit to the one from before albeit in a white and ice blue version as compared to the red. As I observed her I noticed the similarities ran deeper than simply clothing and their facial structure, the colour of their eyes was near identical. Twins.

"Junior would like a word with you." The girl in white said drolly, her arms crossed together and looking thoroughly disinterested with the whole situation.

I smiled politely at the girl, one of my legs tensing slowly to send me leaping elsewhere if the need arose. "Does Junior have a name?" I asked respectfully, a hand coming down to casually rest on the hilt of Crocea Mors as I did so.

The girl rolled her eyes, drawing attention to her colourful eye liner. "His real name is Hei Xiong if that really matters to you. He said something about his uncle?" She finished her tone still the same uninterested deadpan of before.

I relaxed, my hand casually sliding off Crocea Mors' hilt, the tenseness in my legs evaporating.

Huh. The Xiong family has a faction here in Vale.

That's new to me.

Then again I am out of date by a few years now.

May as well be polite and say hello.

"Sounds good." I said with a slight smile, following the girl as she opened the door to the limo and stepped inside. The limosine was a thing of decadent luxury, black leather seats, red velvet roof and a fully stocked alcohol cabinet on one side of the car.

Which is kind of expected for a Xiong family limousine. Their 'business' may be more than a touch shady at times but one cannot deny that they have impeccable taste.

We waited in the car for a few moments in silence, the other occupant tapping away at a scroll she'd pulled from somewhere idly when the door opened again revealing the twin in red, who gracefully stepped into the car, heels clicking against the pavement before taking a seat next to her sister.

The instant she'd taken her seat the engine powered up and the limo smoothly pulled away from the sidewalk, powering along the road.

"I'm Miltia Malachite and this is my sister Melanie." Miltia introduced herself, taking a glass from the mini bar and pouring herself a drink, the black chain around her neck swaying slightly as she did so.

"Her full name's Miltiades but she prefers Miltia." Melanie interrupted as she grabbed her own glass, pouring a different coloured drink as she did so. "Would you like a drink?" She asked, keeping the same bland tone I was beginning to realise was her natural tenor.

"I'm fine, thank you for the offer." I said leaning back into the seat and waiting as the limo rounded a corner and began slowing before pulling to a stop. The driver got out and opened the door for the limo, the Malachite twins gracefully exiting with class and poise. I rolled my shoulders letting out a series of cracks as I did so and stepped outside the car.

I let out a whistle as I gazed upon the sight before me that had been hidden behind the tinted windows earlier, the driver closing the door to the limo and quickly following after the twins.

It was a big place, classical brickwork contrasting with the neon lights dispersed every so often, big glass windows all over the place. Or at least there was, as they appeared to be in the middle of replacing them. The bottom level was a much more modern affair, a sectioned off zone behind dividers serving as the line to get into the building, a much shorter red carpet leading directly into the building.

There was an army of repairmen working away on the outside, the suit clad men of the Xiong family assisting them in their work, sweeping up glass that was scattered across the cement and carpet, new windows being fitted in even as I watched.

Behold the might and wealth of the Xiong family in action.

I drew my attention away from the repairs that were being made and walked onto the carpet, following after the twins, walking between two suit clad bouncers who bowed as I passed them and stepping inside the club. Due to it still being daylight the club obviously wasn't open to the public.

I walked past the doors leading to the club's interior and beheld the aftermath of a battlefield, shattered tiles and broken lights being replaced as I walked, a group of men sweeping spent shell casings off of the floor.

The girls came to a stop at the bar, where a tall powerfully built man, the standard build for any main family member of the Xiong family was standing next to a man with a work hat with the words 'Site Foreman' emblazoned across it going over what looked like the blueprints of the club. "…and I want those railings to be reinforced this time. I am paying you top dollar so I expect a top product in return, understood?" Hei Xiong said staring at the foreman, his gloved hand pointing at a specific point on the blueprints before he spotted me approaching the table.

With that he dismissed the foreman with a wave of his hand and stepped out from behind the table. "Jaune Arc. The Miracle Boy." Hei Xiong states standing before me.

I inwardly wince at the sound of one of the latest moniker's the newsrooms have saddled me with. Miracle Boy?

Oh come on.

"To be honest I only had a passing interest in your story at first, nothing more than that." Hei said shrugging his shoulders before he straightened his shoulders and focused on me. "That was until within five _minutes _of the news breaking that you were alive I receive a phone call from my Uncle, _in person_, stating that I was to bring you here, treat you with the utmost respect and give you what he would be sending over by courier." Junior continued incredulously.

I bit back a laugh at that.

Well that sounds like _him_, glad to hear he made it off the island alive.

"When I asked as to why I was to do this he told me that you saved his life from a fate worse than any I could imagine." Junior finished, looking at me with something I couldn't recognize straight away.

"I just did what I thought was right, that's all." I said simply, not going into any details about the circumstances behind the first time I met Junior's Uncle.

_"__How do you feel child?"_

_"__Gah, Argh, like I've been tortured."_

_"__You look like it too."_

That was not a particularly pleasant experience for either of us.

Junior chuckled at that. "Modest. Just like Uncle said you'd be."

He clicked his fingers and another man with a suitcase handcuffed to his wrist in a black suit and red sunglasses approached, although this one bore a small crest upon his red tie. The crest that was both a name and had another meaning as well. The crest of Qiang Xiong, 'The Strong Bear', Uncle of the Xiong Family.

The courier for Qiang stopped before me, bowed deeply and then offered the case to Junior who removed a key from around his neck to unlock it. The case remained handcuffed to the man's wrist and would stay there until he returned to the family's headquarters. The case clicked open and Junior's eyes widened, letting out a whistle as he beheld what was inside. Then his eyes flicked over to me. "He wasn't kidding was he?" He asked me, a undertone of amazement audible to everyone.

Junior reached carefully, almost reverently into the suitcase and withdrew what was inside of it. I heard the sound of Miltia choking on her drink as she saw what was lifted and Melanie dropped the bottle she was retrieving.

In Junior's hand was a necklace of what appeared to be simple black cord with a large bear claw pendant hanging from it. But as the light glinted off the claw I felt my own jaw drop as I looked at the pendant.

It was made of _platinum_. An intricately crafted piece of platinum in the shape of a bear claw, the sheer artistry, the life-likeness it possessed beyond anything I'd ever seen on a piece of jewellery. It was almost as if an actual bear claw had been painted over with the precious metal such was its likeness.

"You have been given the Fore Claw of the Bear, a sign of our eternal and unwavering gratitude and respect to the one who possesses it. The highest honour my clan can give." Hei breathed, awed at the object he held within his hands.

Then he stepped forward towards me and extended the necklace, bowing formally as he did so, everyone watching on quickly following suit.

Okay.

Something tells me this might be a bigger deal than I first thought.

I reached forward and took the necklace bowing slightly as I did so, tucking the large piece of platinum into my jacket, the cord visible around my neck. "Uh, Thank you, for the gift." I said, trying not to sound as awkward as I felt at the moment.

Junior finished his bow, everyone else standing up as well before getting back to whatever it was they had been doing. Then he turned to the man behind the bar. "Wei break out the good stuff, this calls for a celebration!" he roared, the men cheering as they all approached the bar.

I looked at Junior, feeling the weight of the new addition against my skin. "I take it this isn't a common occurrence?" I asked lightly.

Junior snorted. "Common?! The last time it happened was some seventy odd years ago before I was even born. It's only been given out three times in the entire clan's history." He clapped me on the shoulder. "It's a sign that the person is as good as family in our eyes, a sibling in all but blood."

Woah.

That's…a big thing for the Xiong's.

Huge actually.

A beeping sound met my ears, and after a few moments I realised it was my scroll giving off the sound. I pulled it from my pocket and pressed the yellow diamond extending it.

A brief message was written within.

_It's ready._  
><em>-V<em>

I checked the time on the Scroll and nearly swore as I collapsed it quickly. It was that late already? I need to get back to the forge before Ozpin shows up.

"Junior, sorry to cut this short but I have a need to be on the other side of town. Another appointment I'm afraid." I said, nodding my head in his direction.

Junior clapped me on the shoulder again, my shoulder aching slightly at the force behind the blow. "Not a problem. Lee! Get the car around and drive my brother to his destination."

"You don't need to…" I began before Junior cut me off.

"I wasn't just saying all that because it sounded nice Jaune. In the eyes of the clan, you and I are brothers, and that's the end of it." Hei said pouring himself a drink in a scotch glass, the ice clinking slightly as the alcohol poured in. "If you ever need anything, just drop on by."

With that I bid farewell to Junior and made my way back to the car. Before I left I saw the twins looking at me with a gleam in their eyes that sent a shiver running down my spine.

I do not want to know what is going on behind those eyes at the moment.

Especially if they're anything like their mother.

Qiang had told me a _lot _of things about their mother.

Things that made me look at a pair of heels with a whole lot more appreciation for their application as a deadly weapon.

I waved goodbye to Lee as the car pealed away from the curb, no doubt making it's way back to The Club. I turned around and walked forward to the door of the Steel of Valhalla, the 'closed' sign still visible on the door.

I knocked on the door and it was thrown open before I had finished, Valka hurrying me inside the forge. "I want to thank you Jaune Arc." The huntress said, a wide smile resplendent on her face.

I chuckled hesitantly. "Uh, may I ask why?"

"My husband loves to forge weapons. If there was a single purpose that my husband was born into this life to do it, it would be creating weapons. When he makes one his eyes light up, he has a sense of wonder and joy unlike anything you've ever seen." Valka explained her eyes shining as she remembered before her expression darkened. "Until he reforged Gram, saw what his creation has wrought and swore to never make another one until Gram was redeemed." She added with a growl.

"That hurt my husband more than you can imagine. Sure he could still smith, shields and armour, but he couldn't make his purpose, his ideal. My husband had torn out his own soul in penance and suffered all the more for it." She said her fist clenching tightly for a moment before it released. "And then you came. And you gave my husband back his soul." She looked at me with a joyful smile before the hand that was on my shoulder suddenly tightened with horrific force, almost sending me to my knees at the suddenness of it.

"So if you end up like _he_ did you won't get to go into self-exile for the rest of your life. I'll just rip of your arms and beat you to death with them." Valka finished, her tone still as happy and joyous as before but the chips of turquoise ice that were her eyes convincing me of Valka's promise.

"Duly noted." I forced out with a grunt.

Valka's eyes closed and her smile grew larger. "Wonderful." Then she released me, skipping forward to where Wayland was in all likelihood waiting for me.

I massaged my shoulder as I flushed it with aura the pain subsiding to a dull ache within moments. I'll give Valka this much, she's got a lot stronger than you'd give her credit for at first glance.

And more terrifying.

_Much_ more terrifying.

I let go of my shoulder and walked around the corner to see Wayland standing before his work bench, a cloth placed over whatever was on it, obscuring it from view.

Wayland looked up and saw me and let out a grunt. "You're here then. Good. Now time for you to say hello to your new friend." The smith's hand grabbed hold of the cloth and threw it to the side dramatically.

It was…

…

Magnificent.

It was a bow of gleaming white that was an identical shade to Crocea Mors by my side, with an intricate golden decal that contained innumerable tiny glyphs to make up a single curving line. The handgrip and guard were both formed from seemingly a single piece of gold, with a visibly tight drawstring threaded into the interior of the bow itself.

I picked it up and marveled at its light weight despite its size, the balance impeccably perfect, not a single waver to any direction in my grip. My hand matched the grip perfectly, like it had been made for it. I paused and remembered how Wayland had examined my hands, gripping and contorting them all the while scribbling down his messy notes.

It probably was.

I grasped the drawstring with my fingers and pulled the sheer tenseness making me pull with my entire body rather than simply my arm. I sighted an imaginary target and released the string from my fingers, sending it snapping forward with incredible force.

It was beyond anything I could have dreamed possible with a bow. "Unbelievable." I breathed marvelling at the masterpiece in my hands. It didn't have any large gems or was forged from diamond but the sheer artistry, the perfection in every part of this bow made it eclipse any other treasure.

Wayland reached forward, taking the bow from my hands, a wide grin on his face as he took in my dumbstruck expression. "But of course it is not just a simple bow." He said bombastically like a showman introducing the latest and greatest new product.

He flicked his wrist and the bow shifted the two previously rigid limbs of the bow drawing together, the previously curved form now taking on a much more unbending shape. The bowstring vanished, hidden between the two limbs that were now joined together seamlessly, the grip shifting slightly as well into a different shape.

Where once there was a bow, now a blade sat in its place, a near mirror image for the sword that was strapped at my side. The business end of the weapon was the same resplendent white as the limbs of the bow, to be expected since it was made from the two ends of the bow coming together. The same glyph ridden sigil that was on the side of the bow was visible on the blade, a stark colour change from the otherwise white steel. The grip and cross guard were shaped identically to Crocea Mors, although the grip on this new blade was a single uniform gold as opposed to the blue that appeared on the Arc family's ancestral weapon.

"Divinus Arcus." Wayland said softly, moving the blade through the air. "The Lunar Steel of Gram reforged and made anew into this new form." He handed the sword to me and I gripped my fingers inside the hand and a half grip. If I had my eyes closed I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the newly named Divinus Arcus and Crocea Mors. In shape, weight and feel the resemblance was beyond uncanny, it was identical, even the sound it made as it cut through the air was the same joyful song I had heard when I held Crocea Mors.

I examined the blade for a few moments more before I flicked my wrist as I had seen Wayland do before and suddenly the Sword expanded, the tip of the blade splitting down the middle and separating into two separate limbs, both scything out only to be held back by the reappearing bow string. The hilt shifted as well returning to the hand protecting grip I had first seen it in.

Wayland looked on at me, a thoroughly pleased look on his face before he snapped his fingers. "Ah yes, can't forget that." Then he reached under the table and pulled out a quiver, albeit the most high tech quiver I'd ever seen in my life, bearing the same white and gold colour scheme as my weapons. It already had a number of arrows within it but I couldn't make out an exact amount, my mind simply stating that it was 'numerous' and leaving it at that.

"My daughter made this trying to create a better delivery system for her own weapon, but it doesn't work as a projectile launcher. As a projectile repository however it _excels_." He came around the table, placing the advanced quiver before me and drawing my attention to the bow's grip. "And if you shift your finger down slightly like so…" I felt the metal of the bow under my finger give slightly, as an otherwise undetectable button was pressed and felt my eyes widen as the arrows in the quiver started rotating around, before one arrow was raised slightly out of the case to allow it to be taken more easily. "Then you can choose what arrow you want to fire. There's your standard arrowheads, a variety of dust payloads, as well as few others of my own design."

I played around with this latest feature, watching with a grin as the arrow retracted and was quickly replaced with another one. Oh that was ridiculously cool. "Plus it operates with the same technology used to increase ammo size in magazines, albeit on a much larger scale." Wayland finished before sighing at my uncomprehending look. "It has more arrows in it then it appears to."

Ah.

Awesome.

"Wayland…I…." Words failed me as I tried to tell the smith that this was beyond anything I could have hoped for, perfect in a way that I couldn't have conceived by myself.

Wayland waved me off, the happy grin still on his face. "Don't worry about it boy, trust me, that was the most fun I've had forging in a long time." He said, his fingers flexing out briefly at that. "And besides, I've had those broken bloodstained shards sitting in my forge for a long time. Maybe this time…this time they'll do some good." Wayland finished, his voice trailing off at the end.

Valka walked up to her husband and held him reassuringly, her forehead pressed against his.

Ah.

I kind of felt like I was intruding now, like I shouldn't be a witness to this moment, to this fraction of weakness from this mountain of a man.

But then it was gone, and the mountain regained his unbreakable form. "Oh yes and one final thing." He took the Divinus Arcus from my hands, shifting it back into it's sword form with a flick of his wrist and bought it towards the quiver on the table.

As the blade approached it, the quiver opened as if it was a book and the blade snapped into place securely, presumably held by a magnet of some kind. The quiver quickly closed around it once more, although now it didn't resemble the quiver it did before instead looking like a sheath to a blade, the quiver having lengthed during the shift it underwent to accept the sword, the hilt the only part of the blade still visible.

"The blade comes loose when you grip the hilt, and when you pull it free, the sheath expands back into it's quiver form once more." Wayland explained before he handed the sheathed blade to me. As I looked at it now in it's sheathed form the golden lines that were on the blade and bow could be seen on the sheath as well, although on the sheath they were in a different shape entirely. Clearly recognizable the Arc family crest was marked on the back.

I smiled softly, my hand pressing against the crest as I did so before I removed it. I slid my left arm and head through the strap for the sheath with the strap resting on my right shoulder, leaving the hilt of the blade over my right shoulder and within easy reach of my hands, before tightening it until it no longer jostled with every movement.

Wayland looked at me with the sheathed Divinus Arcus poking over my shoulder and let out a sigh of contentment. "I hope you can live up to your word, Jaune. For both our sakes." And with that he abruptly stood up and left, walking up a set of stairs to what I presumed was their home above the shop, without saying another word.

Valka led me back to the front of the store. "If you find any problems with it, unlikely as that might be, feel free to bring it back and we'll give it a work up." She said waving me goodbye as she did so, closing the door once more, the door locking with an audible 'click'.

I walked forward to see the car already waiting for me, Ozpin sitting patiently in the driver's seat examining something on his scroll before collapsing it as I opened the door. The moment my seatbelt clicked into place, he started the car and began the drive back towards Beacon.

"Sorry about the wait." I apologised, removing Crocea Mors from my side and Divinus Arcus from my back so I could sit down, holding both sheathed weapons between my legs.

Ozpin pushed up his glasses. "Don't worry, I'm more than familiar with Wayland's penchant for getting carried away." He responded before he raised a brow as he saw a new addition to my arsenal. "And he made you a weapon. Now that is something."

I fought back the urge to swallow at that.

Ozpin was someone who was frighteningly intelligent, his eyes picking up seemingly innocuous details to gain a great deal of knowledge. He could probably give the Xiong's a run for their money.

And he seemed to realize the significance of the blade sitting next to him, the instant he saw it without any additions from me.

"Jaune?" Ozpin's voice cut in, slicing through my mental realizations as he did so. "I'm sorry to say this but I do have one question I have to ask you. About your time on the island."

My grip tightened on the blade. "And that would be?"

The car slowed and came to a stop before the Staff Dormitories, the engine still rumbling slightly as Ozpin looked over his glasses and stared directly into my eyes. And then he asked a question that made the blood in my veins turn to ice.

"How did Slate Siegfried die?"


	6. Ashibumi 1-X

Ashibumi 1.X

Altas: Schnee Company Headquarters

The elevator doors opened with the sound of a bell ringing and Winter Schnee strode out into the penthouse of the building, the top three floors of the Schnee Company headquarters that served as the residence for the Schnee family.

She sighed slightly, luxuriating in the feeling of being back at the family home after so long before she took her bag and hung it on the rack by the door, her weapon slotting into place soon after.

One of the many rules of her father. No one was to bring weapons onto the top floor of the house, so they were placed by the lift for easy recovery when they set out to leave.

She could see father's blade where it lay in it's cradle, the gleam of the crackling fireplace reflected on the spotless steel. Looks like he'd been out fighting again, the polish was very recent and he only used it after he stained the blade with something usually blood of some description.

But the presence of a third weapon, an intricate rapier with what seemed to be a revolver attached to the hilt bought comfort to the Schnee heiress heart. She was still here.

The sound of hurried footsteps greeted Winter's ears and she let out a smile as she heard them get steadily louder as they approached.

Then the two double doors to the library were thrown open revealing Weiss Schnee striding out behind them, the smile on her face solidifying when she saw who it was at the door.

"Winter!" Weiss cried out happily skidding to a stop before her sister before grabbing her with a tight hug. "Where were you? You were supposed to be here days ago." Weiss asked her face buried into her sister's ice blue dress.

Winter smiled softly, enveloping Weiss in a hug of her own, marvelling at how much she'd grown over the past few months away. "It is good to see you to dearest sister." She said, her smile still present as she looked down at her.

Weiss' checks went red for a moment before she broke away from the hug, coughing loudly as she tried to regain her decorum.

Winter hid her grin behind her hand. Her sister was just so _cute_ when she got flustered! It was honestly one of the most adorable things she'd ever seen. She spoke up granting mercy to the embarrassment ridden Schnee. "We ran into something…interesting…on our way back to Atlas. We had to make a quick detour back to Vale as a result."

"Interesting?" Weiss parroted quizzically, her face a portrait of confusion. "What could possibly be so interesting?" She asked honestly curious.

Winter patted her sister on the head, just like she had when Weiss was much smaller, and smiled. "I'll tell you after I talk to father Okay?"

Weiss face fell at the mention of their father, something Winter instantly picked up on.

And probably already knew the answer to. "He's still not budging?" Winter probed.

Weiss let out a annoyed huff. "He won't even contemplate it! Beacon is one of the finest Hunter academies in the world, why won't he let me go? Doesn't he trust me?" She asked her sister, tears welling up in her eyes.

Winter inwardly sighed. She was well aware of the reason behind father's decision and Weiss' readiness was not a factor in them.

Her father's fear at losing her however, was one. The primary one in fact.

Winter's hand cupped her sister's face comfortingly her thumb brushing away a few stray tears as they fell. "I'll talk to him." She promised her sister, grabbing her for a quick hug as she did so before letting her go. "Now you go clean yourself up, and when I'm done you can talk to me all about your training."

Weiss nodded thankfully, before turning and moving to the bathroom to clean her face and freshen up.

Weiss always did seem to be more free with her emotions when she was around her.

Winter looked after her sister as she walked away before sighing as she was left alone once more.

This could get interesting.

She didn't need to ask where her father was. When they were here there was only one room her father would be in, inside his private sanctuary as it was.

Winter stopped outside the door to her father's study and knocked on the wood twice.

"Enter." A refined male voice called out.

Winter pushed open the door to her father's study, walking inside and then closing it behind her.

The study of the President of the Schnee company was the same as it always was. Two walls were taken up by large bookcases that stretched up to the ceiling, filled with a variety of texts both ancient and modern on all manner of subjects, from dust to history to agriculture and several texts on combat. The majority of them had been penned by him albeit under a series of different names to prevent suspicion. Another wall had a giant map of Remnant stretched across it, every continent and island labelled with a series of different coloured pins with string connecting various pins together to signify the type of relationship they shared. The rear of the room opened up into a balcony that looked out onto the horizon, providing spectacular views of Atlas' landscape.

In front of that, behind a heavy wooden desk sat her father, his fingers tapping away at a holographic keyboard as he finished the last few words to his message before sending it off, shutting the holographic screen off and facing his daughter, his intelligent green eyes finally looking at her.

Winter knelt down on one knee respectfully. "Father." She said, a touch of emotion in her otherwise detached tone.

The director of the Schnee company sat there in silence for a moment, staring at his daughter all the while, before speaking up.

"I hear you encountered something unexpected on your journey back here Winter." Director Schnee noted, his fingers interlocking as he raised them, remaining in front of his mouth. "Care to enlighten me?"

Winter nodded. "Indeed father. Although it proceeded to become more interesting as time went on."

Her father raised a bushy brow at that. "Do tell."

"My airship was flagged down by someone who had been marooned on an island, someone our company has a connection to. He was a survivor of Schnee Flight Strom." Winter reported, keeping her voice level as she did so.

Her father's eyes snapped into a much sharper focus at that. "A survivor from Strom? But that meant they would have had to have been there for years…" Her father trailed off before gesturing at the map. "Show me which island they were on." He commanded.

Winter walked over and after a quick scan of the wall spotted it, a tiny speck in the middle of a vast stretch of blue.

"Tartarus." The Director murmured his hands coming apart as he used one to stoke his goatee as he thought. "To be able to survive there for that length of time…what was the name of the survivor?"

"Jaune, Jaune Arc."

Her father stilled, still staring at the tiny dot that represented the island. "An Arc, you say." He murmured quietly, his eyes looking at something not on the map, but rather in the memories of his past.

A tall broad shouldered man, light brown hair with deep blue, dressed in armour of gleaming white, sword and shield in hand, the very picture of a heroic knight. The knight shifted his arm up catching the thrust from his own gleaming blade upon his shield, a fierce grin on his face. He remembered smiling too, as he twirled his blade back to deflect the knight's fierce onslaught of attacks.

There were many titles he associated with that man.

Adversary, more often than not.

Ally, on a few rare occasions.

Perhaps, depending on how one looked at it, friend.

But there was one more title that the President of the Schnee Corperation gave to this man.

The only man I ever deemed worthy of my respect.

And now his son, his legacy, was alive.

Winter's voice interrupted his introspection. "He reminded me of you, father." Winter said, thinking back on when she first saw the scion of the Arc name. "The sheer will, the determination…" she trailed off.

"An unbreakable spirit." He commented leaning back into his chair. "His father was much the same."

Winter started at this. "You knew his father?"

Her father smiled slightly. "He was the greatest adversary I ever had, unwavering in his conviction, fearless in his actions." He said reminiscently. "I told you of him once or twice."

Winter frowned quizzically at that. "I don't recall ever hearing you talk about an Arc." She said confusedly.

He chuckled at that. "I seem to recall referring to him as 'The Knight' on occasion."

Winter thought back and then her eyes widened as she remembered what he was referring too "_He_ was an Arc!?" she exclaimed loudly, before composing herself. "There is one more thing Father. His mother…" She hesitated for a moment before continuing on. "It's Charlotte."

His eyes widened at that, before they regained their usual appearance. "So he married Charlotte…that explains a lot." He murmured quietly, his hand reaching into a pocket on his coat to grasp something within it tightly.

Winter looked up at her father, her confusion apparent. "What do you mean Father?"

The Schnee company's president stood up and walked away from his desk, ignoring his daughter for a moment, stepping out onto the balcony, feeling the cool crisp air blowing through his hair as he looked out onto the blinking lights of the city below. Then he spoke to Winter, still staring out over the balcony.

"Tell your sister I've changed my mind. She can go to Beacon after all.

Winter raised a brow at that. "A change of heart, father? A rare occurrence for you." She noted, her question to the reason behind his sudden change silently present.

Director Schnee chuckled. "When the situation changes Winter, one must be ready to change with it. And an Arc is always a bringer of great change."

Winter bowed her head. "I'll go inform Weiss then. By your leave father." And with a slight wave of his hand Winter left the personal study of her father.

The man stood there for a few moments more before he reached into his pocket and bought out a bronze pocket watch, and clicked it open, the cover opening outwards. He remained there, staring at the dizzying array of gears and clock hands, all constantly moving in a seemingly erratic manner.

"The wheel of fate turns once more, old friend." He murmured almost to himself before turning and staring out to where Vale would rest beyond the horizon.

"Let us hope your son is up to the task."

With that he closed the pocket watch gently, looking down at the tiny handheld clock as he did so.

The outside of the pocket watch was blank save for a single symbol engraved onto the front of it.

The crest of the Arc family.

AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION

Agonized screams rent the air as electricity pulsed through the man, his body convulsing through every pain ridden second before suddenly the pain ceased and he collapsed, sobbing. The metal cuffs chained to the roof prevented him from falling but he was unable to stand under his own power anymore, simply hanging from his aching wrists.

"I am under the impression that you must have been deaf, dumb or otherwise handicapped when I gave you your orders. It is the only explanation for how you could have possibly misinterpreted me." The figure said, speaking to the imprisoned man for the first time after what seemed like hours of nonstop torture.

The chained man tried to speak up, to say something but his words were cut off by another scream as lightning surged briefly through his veins once more before ceasing.

The talking figure began walking around the tortured man slowly, their shoes clicking loudly against the floor with every step.

"Because when I told you to kill everyone on board that ship and make it look like an accident, I did mean _everyone_ on that ship." The figure's voice sounded out from behind the man who strained desperately in the chains, trying to regain sight of his torturer.

"So then I find that not only was there a _survivor_ from Schnee Flight Strom but it was the sole reason behind me ordering you to kill everyone aboard that flight in the first place." The figure stated, their voice growing progressively darker and crueller as they went on.

The chained man found the strength to speak up, stammering. "I-I can explain."

The walking figure stepped up close to the chained one, their eyes near touching. The chained man whimpered as he stared into those eyes, which seemed to devour him whole with every second they looked at him.

"The spawn of the Arc is not dead." The figure stated coldly before the chained man felt his air supply cease as a hand started crushing his throat. "How do you think I feel about that?" The figure hissed, the slight wisps that signified aura billowing around them.

"P-please. Give me another chance. I-I won't fail this time." The chained man gasped, blood and tears streaming down his face.

The terrifying figure 'tut-tutted' the crying man. "One is only given one life to live and you appear to have wasted yours." The figure noted before a smile that evoked even more terror than before appeared on their face. "But I'll give you one more chance." With that the crushing grip vanished as quickly as it appeared.

The tortured man broke down sobbing with joy, heaving in great gulps of air as the figure walked away to a seemingly seamless wall that rose up soundlessly, the blinding light shining out of it hiding what was within it from sight. The figure stepped past the new doorway and turned around

"Simply survive and I shall forgive you of your sins." The figure said simply, the smile taking a cruel twist. "Best of luck to you."

Then the opening slid shut again soundlessly, leaving the crying man alone in a pitch black room the darkness so intense, he couldn't even make out his own body.

All that remained was the sound of his heartbeat thudding in his ears.

_THUD_

_THUD_

_THUD_

_scrape_

The man looked up, a sound catching his ear, but he saw nothing. Then the sound appeared again, and again from every direction around him.

_THUD THUD scrape_

_THUD THUD THUD scrape scrape_

_THUDTHUDTHUD_

Silence.

Pure terrifying silence.

Then a set of bestial crimson eyes snapped open in front of him, a snarling roar revealing razor sharp teeth made to rend flesh from bone.

The chained man let out a single short scream before the Beowolf leapt upon him, tearing into the defenceless man.

Outside the room the other person stood, gazing through what on this side was a clear window as the feral Beowolf savaged the dying man, the latest slash of its claws sending a spray of blood across the window.

As the doomed man's lifeblood dripped down the observation window there was only one sound coming out of the room observing the brutal scene. One sound that echoed through the complex, chilling the blood of any who heard it.

Laughter.


	7. Dozukuri 2-1

Dozukuri 2.1

I sighed massaging my brow as I listened to the person screaming through the scroll at me, massaging my brow lightly as I did so. "Yes I did see the tracking beacon you slipped on the inside of my jacket. And yes I did remove said tracking beacon and move it elsewhere."

More screaming followed and I had to hold the scroll away from my ear slightly as the tirade continued, a few of the other passengers on the dust plane looking at my direction from the disturbance. I pulled my hood down further, sinking into my seat, doing my best to avoid recognition from anyone around me.

Stupid Vale News Network.

Now everyone knew what I looked like and what was essentially my life story up until this point.

Mom working at Beacon.

Dad's death.

And my sisters…

Well my adoptive sisters.

My ridiculously overprotective adoptive sisters.

They hadn't been able to be there within the first few days, where they were stationed was more than a fair bit off the beaten track.

However after they _requisitioned_ one of the Bullhead's on sight, which in all likelihood had been shall we say augmented extensively, they had arrived at Vale no doubt breaking quite a few speed limits on the way here.

My sisters aren't exactly subtle people, nor do they blend into the background but for some of them patience is by no means one of their strongest suits as seen in the aftermath of an attempted ambush interview while they were making their way to Beacon.

I fought back a grin as I remembered the sight of a VNN reporter fleeing before a flurry of tossed explosives interspersed with maniacal laughter.

Suddenly the loud voice was muffled and a different yet no less familiar voice spoke up, speaking calmly.

"Yeah, I know she's just showing it her own way I guess. But I mean I only walked down to the city to hop onto the plane because it's the traditional way for Beacon initiates to enter. I just want to be as normal as possible. You don't need to worry about me." I explained briefly maintaining the polite voice that I'd found always helped when I got into an argument with the Seven.

A new voice scoffed at that, with a dry sarcastic comment quickly following after it.

I winced at that. "Okay point taken. But still while I understand why you might be a bit worried about me, I'll be fine. If all else fails Mom will be right there, so you can call her okay? No need for any _other _actions." I said putting heavy emphasis on the other.

A group of semi-innocent faces stared back at me, each asking what I could possibly mean by such a statement.

"Which means I don't want to find any more spy cameras that some of you may have placed in my room or my clothes." I paused for a beat. "Again."

A chorus of denials filled my ears, each saying several variations of how they would never do such a thing.

Right. _Sure_ you didn't.

I felt an eyebrow raise at that. I reached into my pocket and pulled out something I'd discovered when I was about to enter the shower. "So then you'd have no idea about the camera I found hidden in my _bathroom_?" I asked dryly, waving the camera in front of the scroll as I looked back at the suddenly silent forms of my sisters.

I sat there waiting for their reply when suddenly the red lights of a flashing alarm filled the room, more than a few of them letting out a sigh of relief at the timing. I got a few hurried apologies about them cutting the call short, duty calls and such and then they were gone, blurring out of the conference room to go kick the stuffing out of whatever it was that was kicking up trouble in the world today.

Well some things never change.

My sisters, even since I was much younger had always doted on me before I had gone onto Schnee Flight Strom.

A great many of the family photographs illustrated this.

They also served as the chronicle for the endless torture that was my sisters' favourite game.

'Let's Dress up Jaune.'

I still have to fight the instinct to destroy any pirate costume I see.

I chuckled briefly at the memory before I fell silent as I other parts of the reunion came to mind.

I know the island changed me.

It had to, if I had stayed as I was when I first stepped foot on the island I would have died within the first month, if I even made it that far.

But it truly stuck home how much the island had changed me when one of my sisters had hugged me from behind without warning and my reflexive response was to pin her to the floor after breaking the hold, my hand already reaching for a blade that was no longer there.

I closed my eyes and sighed, shaking my head briefly to rid myself of the image before opening my eyes as I heard the familiar and now mildly despised jingle of the VNN playing.

"…the robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick who continues to evade authorities." The newsreader said brightly despite the fact he was talking about someone who was quite obviously not the most pleasant individual around.

A mugshot of the criminal in question filled the screen, orange hair styled over one eye, the remaining visible green orb staring out beyond the mugshot, stylish high end clothing and the cocky smirk on his face being something that many would call arrogant. Then again if you can be a career criminal operating within Vale and not get caught you did have good reason at least for that arrogance.

"If you have any information about his whereabouts please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you Lisa." The man signed off the image on the screen flicking away from Torchwick's mugshot and on to the image of VNN's lead anchor Lisa Lavender sitting behind her desk.

"Thank you Cyril. In other news This Saturday's faunus civil rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony." At this the image of a blood red beowolf head with diagonal claw marks in the background appeared on the screen.

That was another shock to the system to get used to when I was getting back up to speed on the ways of the world. It seemed that the White Fang a previously peaceful group formed after the human-faunus war that was campaigning for faunus equality had turned to more violent measures in pursuit of their goal. These days they were more terrorists then protest group enacting acts of arson, sabotage, thievery even assassination.

If Dad was still alive he'd be devastated of what's become of the group. He was friends with a few of the founding members who have all either passed away or disappeared in the five years since I'd been back among society.

"Finally our top story for the day. The miracle survivor of Schnee flight Strom, Jaune Arc will be starting his first day of Beacon Academy today.

…Jaune currently 18, is the only survivor of the lost Schnee flight Strom which was lost during a freak storm enveloping the endless ocean. This storm also delayed rescue crews and by the time crews had arrived at the location of the distress beacon the plane had already sunk beneath the water with no sign of any survivors The mystery of how Jaune survived this event and then continued to survive on a deserted island for the next five years continues to be a topic of debate.

Jaune's family is also one of great prestige within the world of Remnant, his Great-Grandfather being Julius Arc, the famed General of the last Great Grimm War. His Mother Charlotte Arc is currently teaching in Beacon after an extended campaign fighting alongside her adopted daughters within…"

The extended family history of myself was thankfully cutshort by the screen cutting out and being replaced by a hologram of Glynda in her usual attire, her arms held firmly behind her back. "Hello and welcome to Beacon." She greeted, the pre-recorded message smiling at us as it did so.

I saw more than a few conversations cut short at Glynda's appearance bar a tall blonde who leant towards a shorter brunette with the tips of her hair becoming red in a similarly red cape. "Who's that?

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." The recording continued, thus answering the blonde's question.

"Oh." The blonde said, surprised at having her question be answered so immediately.

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honour of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace and as future huntsman and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task and now it is out turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

With that the recording stopped talking and faded into nothingness. Suddenly loud "ooh's" and "ah's" were said throughout the airship as we approached Beacon from the air, which it must be said, is a pretty spectacular view.

In all honesty though my attention was elsewhere thinking back on the last sparring session I'd had with my mother before I'd left to hop on the airship.

_Mom's rapiers darted forward each thrust as powerful as the last forcing all of my attention onto the conflict at hand, blocking, deflecting and occasionally attempting to slip in my own attacks between Mom's seemingly endless flurries._

"_And you're sure that this is what you want? No-one would say anything if you wanted to take a year off to recover Jaune." Mom said concerned, her conversation at odds with her ultra-aggressive battle strategy_

_I shook my head minutely, making sure to catch the rapier tip that slipped past my defence on my chest piece, making use of the terrific force behind the blow to augment my leap backwards. "I've been waiting for five years mom. I don't particularly feel like waiting any longer." I replied even as she leapt forward to meet me where I would land._

_Unless I did something first._

_Crocea Mors slid back into its sheath even as Divinus Arcus twisted and extended into a bow my other hand now holding three arrows tightly between my fingers. I contorted in mid-air, turning to fire the three projectiles at the charging figure of my mother, one after the other._

_Her rapier's rose up as she darted forward, sliding between the arrows on the left and the right, one sword lancing out to knock the centre one aside._

_Bingo._

_As soon as the tip struck it the arrow exploded in a detonation of blinding white light sending a curse flying from Mom's lips even as she skidded to a stop. I could say that the middle arrow was the only one with the flash attachment and that the other two's were purely decoys._

_But in all honesty all three of them were flash bangs because trying to herd Mom is just asking for trouble._

_I surged sideways not stopping as I drew another handful of arrows from the quiver and let them fly._

_I was ruthlessly exploiting my opponent's moment of weakness attacking a blinded opponent from range with multiple attacks._

_If it had been almost any other opponent it would have bought me victory._

_Against my mother it bought me precisely three seconds._

_Despite the fact she could no longer see through her eyes at the moment she somehow still knew where I was and moved towards me, her body twisting minutely to avoid the incoming arrows but otherwise not slowing in the lightest._

_I twisted the Divinus Arcus back into its sword form, abandoning an attempt to draw Crocea Mors, knowing Mom would reach me before it was even halfway out of its sheath._

_I braced readying for the attack and then…_

The floor shook slightly, rousing me from my thoughts as the airship came to a stop, the ramp quickly extending out to the wide pathway to Beacon Academy.

I shook my head slightly, stretching my arms as I stood up and let loose a series of loud cracks as I stretched out my arms.

Must have lost track of time.

I made my way off the plane, realising that the majority of the passengers were already making their way towards Beacon with only a few remaining behind.

Okay then, here we go.

First day as a student at Beacon.

"What do you think you're doing?" An indignant voice cried out.

I found my attention drawn towards the voice an apology on my lips until I realised that they weren't actually referring to me.

The girl in the red hood from earlier was apologising as she stood by a group of briefcases that had been knocked off a trolley.

Interestingly enough the one giving the tirade appeared to be a much smaller version of Winter.

Wait, in her last message Winter mentioned a sister didn't she.

God, what was her name…

Ice?

No there was a W in there somewhere.

Ah it'll come to me.

I watched as Winter junior started waving a bottle of dust about to accentuate her argument and spotted the glimmer of dust escaping from the bottle with every swipe of her arms.

Oh dear.

This won't end well.

Red then sneezed, somehow activating the dust in the process. It detonated loudly, a ball of fire surrounding the girl in white, followed by the crackling of ice and somehow even a bit of lightning.

How many different kinds of dust were in that one vial?

The bottle that Winter's sister had been holding was sent flying, clinking to a halt at the feet of a black-clad girl with similarly black hair who was deeply engrossed within a book.

The girl with the black bow picked up the bottle and walked over to the squabbling pair with a near silent tread that caused me to instantly place the newcomer on my mental "In all likelihood pretty dangerous" list. Very few people have a walk that stealthy come naturally to them.

Very few of them are people you would want to run into on a dark night.

Or any night for that matter.

Red was poking her fingers together embarrassed as the younger Schnee heiress continued her outburst, reaching new heights as a result of the recent explosion.

"…Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?" She said, her tone making it seem more like a statement than a question.

Red stammered "Well, Ah, I.."

"This isn't your ordinary combat school!" Winter's sister cut her off, talking over her. "It's not just sparring and practice you know. We're here to fight monsters so, watch where you're going!"

"Hey I said I was sorry princess!" Red retorted, not backing down an inch, if anything she was getting closer after that last rant.

It was at this point that the girl in the black bow cut in, introducing the girl in white as Weiss Schnee (Weiss! That was it. Damn it I was so close!) as well as cutting Weiss' ego down to size with a few choice comments about her family's shall we say _suspect_ business partners and business practices.

Weiss in response left in a huff, striding towards Beacon with her heels clicking loudly on the path, two butlers collecting her bags and following after her.

Red shouted out an apology to Weiss, before turning to talk to the girl with the black bow only to find that she had walked away, again with that eerie naturally silent step.

Red proceeded to collapse at this, lying back and looking up at the sky with a sigh. "Welcome to Beacon." She muttered half-heartedly letting out another sigh as she did so.

Ah damn it.

She looked like a kicked puppy for crying out loud.

No way I'm going to be able to ignore that.

Plus I am in rather dire need of some friends who aren't either family, teachers or 'respectable businessmen'.

I walked over to Red stopping as my body stepped between her and the sun extending my shadow over her lying form. I extended a hand to help her up. "Need a hand?"

I asked with a small smile.

The girl with the red hood returned with a smile of her own. "Thanks." She said grabbing my hand and using it to pull herself up from the pavement. "I'm Ruby."

Ruby, huh.

Pretty close guess all things considering.

"I'm Jaune." I said, introducing myself with a slight nod of the head.

Ruby looked at me quizzically for a few moments before her face lit up, her silver eyes sparkling away. "You're the 'Wonder Boy' aren't you?" She said letting out a giggle at the ridiculous moniker.

I felt my eyebrow twitch and my smile start to slide off my face.

God damn VNN.

"That's really how you want to start this conversation?" I asked dryly, raising an eyebrow in response to her question.

Ruby winced, the action making her move in a way that made her youth all the more apparent. "Sorry." She apologised for her question. Then she perked up again. "But are you?"

I sighed and pulled back my hood my hair still pretty short after my impromptu haircut at the hospital.

Felt incredibly weird having so little hair after my time on the island.

Not bad per say, just…

Weird.

"Jaune Arc in the flesh." I introduced myself again, giving a slight bow as I did so.

Damn it.

Another person wanting to ask about the island.

How hard is it to find someone with half a shred of tact around here?

Ruby broke out in a grin. "That means you know where we have to go, right? Because you were living in Beacon for a bit?" She asked me, a hopeful expression on her face.

I take back everything I just thought.

Thank you Ruby.

I gave a small grin at that and started walking towards the main hall. "Just follow me then." I said, a skipping Ruby following after me.

I enjoyed the sound of the wind blowing lightly through the trees, the feel of it as if flowed through my short hair and let out a content sigh.

This is nice.

Ruby snickered again. "But really 'Wonder Boy'?" She let out another giggle at that.

This _was_ nice.

I glared at Ruby, my eyes narrowing. "I didn't exactly get to choose the name you know." I muttered, one eyebrow twitching as the name echoed in my ears.

"Look I'm sorry." Ruby said gently raising her hands in surrender. "It was just the first name that popped into my head when I remembered where I'd seen you before."

Goddamn VNN.

"I don't think you have any room to talk Ruby." I said lightly, a ghost of a smirk on my lips.

Hook…

"Huh?" Ruby asked turning towards me.

"After all it's not like I made someone explode by sneezing at them," I noted, Ruby twitching slightly at that.

Line…

"Crater Face." I quipped, the smirk on my face steadily growing as I relished in Ruby's outraged expression.

"Hey, that was an accident!" She cried out indignantly, her cheeks pinking slightly in mortification.

And Sinker.

"I know. That just makes it _more_ hilarious than it already was." I said sagely before a grin broke out at her pouting expression, her cheeks tinged red as her cloak.

"…shut up." She mumbled, pulling her cloak over her head in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

We both continued on in near silence, the only sounds being our footsteps.

Crap, what am I supposed to do now?

I didn't exactly get much in the way of social interaction on the island, so my people skills can be described at their very best as 'rusty'.

Okay, Jaune think, think. What do normal people say in a situation like this?

"Nice weather isn't it?" I said almost on instinct before I shut my mouth quickly, my teeth slamming together.

Really?

REALLY?

That's the best you could come up with?

The weather looks nice?

What are you five?

Ruby pulled her hood back, the blush on her cheeks not gone but most definitely fading.

"Yeah. It is." Ruby replied before she trailed off herself, looking at a loss for words. Then her eyes lit up again. "So…I've got this thing." Ruby said abruptly before she pulled something from behind her back, the familiar mechanical sound of a weapon expanding filling my ears.

I, uh…

_Woah_.

Now _that_ is a weapon.

It was a large scythe, one even bigger than Ruby was that looked like it was wielded with both of Ruby's hands. It was coloured primarily the same red of Ruby's cloak interspersed with black and a few different shades of grey.

Wait, am I supposed to say something now?

"That's…" I started, struggling to find the words to describe the ridiculous weapon in front of me. "…quite the scythe." I finished, my eyes flicking down and taking note of just how easily the tip of the blade had slid through the pavement.

Very sharp.

"It's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle." Ruby went on as she easily lifted the scythe from the ground and rested it on her shoulder.

My eyes quickly took note of the scope resting on the shaft of the scythe as well as what I once thought to be another handhold but was in fact probably where the bullets for this monster were loaded. "That thing's a gun?" I said, more than a hint of shock in my voice.

In response to this Ruby's hand came up and pulled on a lever, the unmistakeable sound of a gun cocking reaching my ears. "It's also a gun." She affirmed with a grin.

Her grin was infectious and I soon found myself smiling alongside her. "That's pretty awesome." I admitted, watching as Ruby collapsed her scythe with a practiced twirl and slid it behind her back.

"So what do you got?" She said her eyes flicking to the sword at my waist and the hilt sticking over my right shoulder.

"Well, I've got two weapons." I explained unsheathing Crocea Mors from where it rested from my side. "The sheath also turns into a shield but I've got no idea how to use it so I just leave it as a sheath."

"Ooh." Ruby said marvelling at my inheritance from my father. "What does it do?" She asked, no doubt looking for a button or switch that would make it transform into some other ridiculous weapon like a rocket launcher or something.

"Well it works very well at cutting, stabbing, slicing, all sorts of things like that." I said with a teasing lilt to my voice.

Ruby glared at me, but I had to bite back a laugh as the image of her as a puppy only became further reinforced by the look she sent me. "Not what I meant." She growled.

I lost the battle against the laughter and one escaped as I waved Ruby off. "It's an Arc family heirloom. It was my great-great grandfather's back in the day. Still does the job." I said putting the ancient blade through its paces with a few swings before I slid it back into its sheathe. "This one however is for Jaune Arc exclusively."

With that I unsheathed Divinus Arcus, the gold and white blade positively singing as it cut through the air. Ruby let out another loud 'ooh' at this and zoomed forward with incredible speed, stopping inches away from the sword. "It's beautiful." She breathed marvelling over the quality of the blade, which seemed to be endlessly gleaming as the sun's rays danced over it.

I grinned at that. "But wait there's more." I said loudly, drawing on the voice that every tv advertisement salesman seemed to possesses. Then I flicked my wrist and the blade shifted, splitting in half and folding around the hilt in an instant, a tight cable spread between them to reveal the bow that had taken its place.

Ruby positively squealed in excitement at this, dancing around me as she marvelled at the transformed weapon. "So cool!" she marvelled before coming to a stop as she saw the quiver on my back. "And is that a quiver? Oh my God, your sheath turns into a quiver that is amazing!" She babbled, her eyes gleaming intensely.

I found myself taking half a step away from Ruby before I even realised I had moved.

"You doing okay there Ruby?" I asked, feeling very much like a man poking an Ursa with a pointy stick at the moment.

Ruby seemed to realise how she must have looked at the moment and flushed red, coughing and trying to look away from me. "Sorry." She apologised, a weak grin flashing at me, "I'm a bit of a dork when it comes to weapons. I guess I did go a bit overboard designing it." Ruby said off-handily one hand going back to touch her scythe at that.

Wait, WHAT?

"You built that thing?" I said amazed. And more than a bit incredulous.

She couldn't be more than fifteen and she made a weapon like that?

Did she lose a bet?

"Of course!" Ruby affirmed loudly. "All students at Signal forge their own weapons."

Huh.

So I guess that's what most people do then.

Good to know.

Signal's one of the hunter schools for training before the academy right?

I think it was.

Eh, I'll check again later.

"So why did you help me out back there? In the courtyard." Ruby asked me as we rounded the final turn leading towards the hall.

I shrugged non-committedly. "Do I need to have a reason to help someone?" I asked with a grin, my smile widening as Ruby shook her head. "You looked like you needed a friend. And hey, my mom always says 'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." I said, the grin widening slightly as I remembered Mom saying it again a few hours ago.

I looked up, and pointed towards the large double doors before us. "That's us." I said opening the door and holding it ajar for Ruby with an over-emphasized bow, my grin betraying the politeness of the gesture.

Ruby giggled in response before giving her own mock-curtsy and strode into the hall. The other students were already massed at the front of the hall, waiting on Ozpin and Glynda who appeared to be talking amongst themselves.

"Ruby!" A voice called out drawing my attention to the blonde girl from before. "Over here I saved you a spot!" She said, beckoning Ruby towards her.

It was at that moment I caught sight of someone else in the corner of my eye, a much older man in a distinctive burgundy suit with matching golden trimmings and buttons. His moustache hid his mouth from view but the jovial expression on his face was clear even without it. He raised a familiar looking backpack, with one eyebrow raised questioningly towards me.

Ah.

Knew I forgot something.

"Ruby, I've just realised I've forgotten something. I'll catch up with you later?" I asked, a silent apology present in my voice.

"Oh, okay then." Ruby spoke up, drawing my attention back towards my new acquaintance who smiled understandingly before remembering the still waving blonde. "I gotta go. I'll see you after the ceremony." She said with a wave, running over to stand by the blond.

I weaved my way through the crowd to wear Peter was standing, a slight grin on my lips as I approached the aged huntsman.

"My boy, You go to all that trouble packing this thing, and then you forget to bring it with you?" He said with an arched brow, his tone lightly chastising.

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly as I retrieved the bag from Peter. Or I guess now he's 'Professor Port' since the term has started,

"Best pay attention now my boy, looks like Ozpin is about to give his speech." Peter warned me before he waved a goodbye making his way out the rear doors with remarkable grace for his physique.

I stood there watching him leave for a moment before my attention was grabbed by a loud and familiar voice crying out elsewhere in the room.

"YOU!"

"OH GOD, IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN!"

Oh look, Ruby found Weiss again. Or was it the other way around?

May as well go and introduce myself, Winter did ask me to keep an eye out for her after all.

I casually swung the backpack over my shoulder and started making my way forward, weaving my way through the murmuring crowd once more.

As the crowd parted once more I caught sight of Ruby, Weiss and Ruby's blonde friend from earlier, Ruby now holding onto to a brochure of some kind and their voces once more audible through those of the other students.

Ruby cleared her throat and stuck out her hand to shake. "Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!" Ruby said earnestly.

All that's left is for Weiss to accept the greeting, forgive Ruby for her little accident this morning and all's well that ends well.

"Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, dark and scraggly over there?" Weiss said, her voice filled with seeming enthusiasm as she looked into Ruby's hopeful eyes.

I winced as I looked at Ruby's expression. As someone who's grown up with seven sisters and Mom I am fully aware and practiced in the ancient art of spotting sarcasm. And I do believe I've just located a new gold mine.

And wait a minute…

Scraggly!?

How the blazes am I scraggly?

My train of thought was cut short at the sound of someone clearing their throat echoing out of the speakers. I stopped and looked up at the stage to see Professor Ozpin now ready to address us.

"I'll keep this brief." He said mildly, pushing his glasses back from where they had slid down with two fingers before he continued on. "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people." His eyes scanned over the crowd stopping briefly at times before continuing on. "But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove your knowledge can only carry you so far." His eyes met mine, brown staring into blue, neither turning away. "It is up to you to take the first step."

With that Ozpin broke eye contact and started walking off stage, not looking back at the murmuring crowd even once, the sound of his cane clacking on the floor clear to me even within the sounds of the prospective students around me. Then Glynda, or I suppose I should be calling her Professor Goodwitch now, stepped up to the microphone, her face set in a stern expression.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow initiation begins. Be ready. Your dismissed." With that Glynda made her exit and I after a few moments thought quikly followed suit, making my way through the milling crowds.

I'll head to the ballroom now and claim a corner as my own. Can't unconsciously attack someone approaching me from behind if there's a wall at my back now can I?

_Cold._

_I was so cold._

_The water surrounding me may as well have been frozen, such was the intensity of the cold._

_I pulled my head above the water, chest heaving as I sucked in air before another wave crashed into me sending me tumbling through the water once more._

_I floated there for a moment beneath the crashing waves, the thunderous skies and the endless rain muffled by the ocean, the sudden silence eerie._

_Wait…_

_There!_

_I surged forward, my lungs burning as I strived for the surface, my legs kicking as hard as they could even weighed down by my clothing. I broke the surface of the water and my arms reached out, latching onto the debris that was floating through the crashing waves._

_I rested there, still gasping for air as the rain pelted down at me, the sound of booming thunder and crashing waves filling my ears._

"_HELP!" I screamed as loud as I could, trying to draw the attention of someone, anyone else, but my voice was lost in the chaos of the storm. _

_I floated there on that debris for what seemed like hours, days even, the storm never breaking, the ocean never calming as it raged around me, the landscape an endless stretch of surging water._

_But then I saw something._

_Something other than the surging waves._

_I saw land._

_An island._


	8. Dozukuri 2-2

Dozukuri 2.2

I looked up at the sky and let out a sigh, my eyes tracing over familiar constellations in the sky.

Well that's one thing that was good about Tartarus. On a cloudless night, and boy was that a rare occasion it was like the heavens seemed to come alive with dancing lights, brighter and more numerous than any I'd ever seen before.

Here in Vale even with the relatively little pollution bought about from Dust usage the stars seemed duller, there were less stars that could be seen with your own eyes.

But still I laid down here on this bench and stared up at them, absently counting the stars as I did so.

One of the habits I'd picked up from my time on the island.

On those rare cloudless nights, just like tonight, I'd take time to lay down and just look up at those stars, those unchanging constants that remained with me despite the solitude I'd felt on the island.

I'd just look up at those stars and know I was still alive, that I could still get home and despite everything the island put me through that the world was still turning.

Still, I may as well make my way back to the ballroom. A good night's rest sounds like precisely what I need in preparation for initiation tomorrow.

My bare feet walked silently across the pavement, the cool night air blowing across my bare neck, the long sleeved shirt that clung tightly to my chest doing little to prevent me from feeling the chill.

That being said after the cold that Tartarus could instil in me on the best of days this was like a warm summer breeze in comparison.

I clambered back up the nearby tree nimbly and made the short leap upwards to the open air balcony on the second floor, landing lightly on my feet.

Considering they've already locked the front doors before I'd made my impromptu exit, it seemed best that I return to the ballroom the same way I'd left it, with no-one the wiser.

I walked through the door that I had left propped open slightly, closing it behind me with a soft 'click' before I made my way back downstairs to the ballroom floor as if I had merely left to go to the toilet again.

I slipped through the door casually, making my way through the various bodies taking up the floor as they tried to get some sleep, before the big event tomorrow.

I waved hello to Ruby as I passed her, quickly diverting my attention away from her blonde companion as she fixed my with a look I had grown very used to seeing from the twins at the Club.

Back away Jaune, that way lies madness.

My ears perked up as I heard the distinctive sound of a match being lit and turned to see the gril in black from earlier today lighting a candle to provide some light to read…well I'll be damned.

Didn't think I'd see that thing again.

The Guardian Trilogy, huh?

God I haven't read that since…

Since Dad was still alive I guess.

I thought about going over and saying hello for a moment then decided against it, instead continuing on to the corner I had stashed my gear and pressing my back up against the wall with a sigh.

Not really the talkative type these days.

Some habits die hard.

I sighed before smiling softly as I watched Ruby and her blonde friend cause a literal dust cloud from their impromptu scuffle before Winter's sister showed up and told them to be quiet before somehow managing to get into an argument herself.

I smirked at that before I closed my eyes and curled up slightly as let myself fall into the embrace of sleep once more, moving from awake to unconscious in moments.

Maybe I won't dream tonight.

Probably not.

_The sound of the storm had died down now, even as the rain continued to pelt down on me like knives made of ice, the constant booming of thunder was far quieter than the head shaking noise of before._

_I wasn't moving anymore, the debris no longer drifting any further._

_I forced open my eyes, flinching as the teaming rain struck them, before my eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight that made it through the clouds._

_The Island._

_It was much close now, almost as if I could reach out and grab it with my hands. But there was the problem._

_The piece of debris that had served as my raft wouldn't move any closer towards it._

_In fact it seemed to be repelled away from it, only to be pushed back equally by the waves of the storm, keeping me stuck on seemingly open water._

_The reality of my situation struck me rather quickly._

_If I wanted to get to the island, to get out of the ocean, then I would have to abandon the safety of my makeshift raft, and swim the rest of the way myself._

_I lay there for a few moments, struggling with the dilemma of abandoning the safety of the raft for the possible safety of the island when the choice was made for me._

_There was a crack as loud as any of the thunder I had heard earlier and the debris broke apart, the once sea worthy scrap now sinking like a stone, leaving me spluttering in the water before I pulled my head above the surface once more._

_Swim for the island it is then._

_Soon everything was lost in the monotony of my arms pinwheeling around my shoulders as they pulled me through the water, the eerie silence of the ocean interspersed by the cacophony of the storm as my head rose for air before sinking back below the water._

_I bit back a yell as I felt something slice into my arm, and looked down to see a reef now visible to my eyes through the pale moonlight. A rather sharp reef if the cut on my arm gave any hint._

_But as much as it hurt, the pain also kept me awake, kept me focused, forced the goal of getting on to that island to stay at the forefront of my mind._

_And so with every stroke, every kick, even as I felt as if I was slowly cutting myself to pieces on the reef, one thought kept me going._

_"I'm one stroke closer."_

_And then I felt my hand slap onto solid ground, my body washed onto countless broken rocks as the wave crashed before pulling away, leaving me shivering on the wet stones._

_A choked sound escaped from my mouth before ragged laughter filled the air, as I revelled on the feel of the cold stone beneath my skin._

_Then I felt my head start to spin, the ground around me spiralling even as I remained on that rocky beach._

_What? What's going on?_

_I looked down and the answer made itself clear to me._

_Wow._

_I'm a real mess right now aren't I?_

_What little remained from my shirt was now stained red with my own blood, the dozens of scratches and cuts visible through the tears in my clothing, even as the rain washed it off of my body._

_I'm guessing that would probably hurt but in all honesty, I have just been a great big ball of pain ever since I landed in this ocean._

_My eyes found themselves slowly closing, despite my efforts to keep them open, every breath, every thought that passed through my mind sluggish and dull._

_I guess this it then._

_Was this how Father felt?_

_Then I spotted something through my hazy eyes, the blurry outline of something approaching me, stepping out from the trees._

_The figure moved closer and I heard words come out of their mouth, but I couldn't understand what they were saying._

_But before my eyes closed, before I lost sight of everything I was able to make out one thing about the figure in front of me. Something which sent a shiver of fear running through my heart._

_It was wearing a mask._

_A _Grimm's _mask._

My eyes flashed open, scanning my surroundings, muscles tensed before relaxing as nothing dangerous pricked my senses.

I'm fine.

There's nothing there.

I'm safe.

My hands unclenched, the tension vanishing as I gazed upon the mostly sleeping forms of the other prospective huntsman and huntresses.

My eyes flicked over to the window, spotting the sun just beginning to peak over the horizon.

Dawn.

Looks like some habits aren't kicked quite so easily.

I pushed myself up from my impromptu mattress, stretching my arms which let out a series of loud cracks as they did so.

Okay then, time for breakfast.

I made my way out of the hall, taking care not to step on any of the still sleeping students still on the floor around me.

I bit back a snort as I walked past Ruby who was snoring like a champion, arms and legs splayed out haphazardly. I have no idea how on earth her sister could sleep through that.

Immunization through continual exposure?

Probably.

I yawned as I walked through the doors leading to the cafeteria, a ridiculously large building with ceiling s that stretched up much higher than normal to allow the overly large windows that the dawn light poured in through.

Okay then, where to sit?

"YOU!" A voice cried out the sound of rapid footsteps accompanied by the cries of people being knocked out of the way and cutlery being sent to bounce off the floor.

I turned to the source of the disturbance only to find someone skidding to a stop in front of me, staring intently at me.

It was a girl, strangely familiar to me, yet I also knew I had never met her before in my life. She had bright orange hair, and clear green eyes that were scanning my form as if looking for some sign on my body. She wore what looked like an armoured corset over a pink skirt, with equally pink shoes and gloves and two detached white sleeves.

…

And she's _still _staring at me.

Getting more than a little unnerved here.

"Uh," I started, the girl's eyes darting up to lock onto my face as I did so. "Can I help you?"

The girls eyes _sparkled_ in response to my question.

How the hell do eyes sparkle?

Then without warning I found myself hoisted into the air by a pink glove and the girl it was attached to, dashing back to where she had come from with me over her head, barging through the students I realise now she must have barged through on her quest to find me…for some reason I have yet to realise.

"Sorry!" I called out to the students picking themselves off from the ground before I found myself plonked onto a seat in front of one of the many benches in the hall, a series of plates stacked tall with pancakes bouncing slightly as I did so.

A head poked it's way around the tower of pancakes to reveal a boy with black hair save for a single streak of pink looking at me, no looking at the girl who had kidnapped me without a word of explanation with an expression I can only describe as weary resignation in his pink eyes.

"Nora," The boy sighed a hand reaching out from his long green sleeves to massage his brow, "What have I told you about randomly kidnapping people without any explanation?" He asked, raising a brow and clearly waiting for an answer from her.

"Bah! But Ren!" The girl I knew now to be Nora responded, whining pitifully. "Your way takes too long." She continued, completely shameless in her admittance that she had kidnapped me.

I scrunched up my brow.

God, I could swear she reminds me of someone, it's on the tip of my tongue.

Ren rolled his eyes and shifted a tower of pancakes towards Nora who promptly started to, for lack of a better term, inhale them at a prodigious rate, before he turned to address me. "Anyway, I'm Lie Ren and my socially stunted friend over here is Nora." He introduced himself, Nora waving happily with a mouthful of pancake.

Huh.

Okay then.

Wait, shit, introduce yourself!

"I'm…" I started before Nora cut me off.

"Jaune Arc, I know." Nora said, swallowing a large mouthful of pancake as she did so. "Mom and Dad say hi." She said, a grin on her face as she waited for my reply.

Mom and Dad?

Who do I know that would have a kid like Nora…

Oh you've got to be kidding me.

"Nora Valkyrie?" I asked ruefully, the resemblance of Valka and Wayland unmistakeable now as I looked at the now laughing Nora.

"Yep!" She responded, letting out a burp as the final pancake of the tower was devoured. "Wanted to meet the guy who got Dad to start making weapons again."

Ren who was taking a sip of tea at the time, choked at that revelation. "Your father _made _him a _weapon?_" He asked, completely stunned at Nora's reply.

Nora shrugged her shoulders at Ren's incredulity. "Didn't I tell you this morning?" She pondered, thinking deeply.

Ren was less impressed. "I was asleep this morning Nora." He sighed resignedly, his eyes rolling at the realization of what must have happened.

Nora gave an 'eh' gesture which reminded me very much of her father. "That's not my fault." She deflected before continuing on as Ren twitched dangerously. "Anyway, the reason I bought you here is because you're going to be the final member of our team, team ENERGY!" Nora finished excitedly, flipping up into a heroic pose that I thought I'd seen on the cover of the latest X-Ray and Vav comic.

I stared at Nora blankly for a few moments as Ren slammed his head into the table with a groan. "What?" I let out at a deadpan, staring at the excitable huntress.

"N," Nora pointed to herself_,_ "R," she pointed at Ren_, "_J," She finished pointing at me_._ "N-R-J, ENERGY!"

Uh…

Okay…

Guess that works.

Sort of.

"Wouldn't that be ENERJAY?" I asked scratching my head at Nora's logic "And what about the fourth member?"

"SEMANTICS!" Nora roared before she froze at my second question. "And what fourth member?"

I blinked at that. "Hunter teams are made of teams of four?" I ventured, waiting for Nora to make the connection.

"Thank you!" Ren called out from behind the tower of pancakes.

Damn now I'm getting hungry looking at all this food, I may as well take a few. I stacked a few pancakes on an empty plate as Nora stood their gaping at me and Ren before getting stuck into them.

I let out a sigh as I took the first bite.

That is some really good pancake.

Forgotten how much I had missed these.

"The teams are made up of four people? Why didn't you tell me Ren?" Nora asked Ren, looking as if this was some form of great betrayal on his part.

Ren raised a brow at that. "I did, you just didn't listen." Ren replied as he looked at Nora's suddenly bashful form. _"_Again."

Nora sat there, blinking at Ren and I for a few moments before a chime sounded over the intercom and Glynda's voice began echoing from the speakers. "Would all first year students please make their way to the locker room to ready themselves for initiation."

Nora let out a joyful sound at that. "Ooh, time for the fun stuff! C'mon team NRG move out!" And with that she somersaulted out of her seat and dashed off towards one of the doors and disappearing from sight.

I blinked and silently stared after her.

"How the hell did she come from Wayland and Valka?" I asked as the shock slowly seeped away. "And doesn't she kn…"

Ren interrupted me with a raised hand and a slight smirk. "Wait for it." He said, slowly counting down with raised fingers.

Suddenly Nora appeared again, a sheepish grin on her face. "Uh, may have forgotten where the locker room is." She admitted, scratching the back of her head as she did so.

Ren's smirk widened and I hid a grin of my own.

Well they're certainly spontaneous.

As Ren stood up I noticed just how tall he was, about the same height as me. And while he didn't seem bulky or overly muscled, he seemed to be perfectly balanced, much like someone else I'd noticed today. No longer hidden from view by the pancakes the green sleeves of his I had seen earlier were attached to an elaborate overcoat, primarily of the same green but also of black and lined in a dull gold, with cuffs of the same pink visible in his eyes and the streak in his hair. He wore a pair of loose full length white pants that neither clung to his legs nor seemed to impede his movement.

Not to mention he gave me quite the reminder of someone else. Someone I wouldn't underestimate on my best day.

I made sure my hood was up and firmly in place before anyone could identify me as wonder boy.

God damn VNN.

Okay then, off to the lockers it is.

"So anyway, about team NRG, we need to find some sort of way to make sure we end up on the same team…" Nora began rambling once more as Ren rolled his eyes at me behind Nora's back.

We finally made our way to the locker room after Ren and I had to double back and find Nora after she took a wrong turn when we weren't looking, making the trip take a bit longer than originally expected.

Ren was someone very well practiced in the art of tracking down a distracted Valkyrie and found her in no time before dragging a protesting Nora away from the school's forge and workshop for weapon repair and creation.

I waved goodbye to Ren and Nora as the fast talking Valkyrie continued to talk at blurring speeds, something about 'sloths' the only thing I could pick up from the conversation. I also gave a quick hello to Ruby and the blonde that seemed to be accompanying her before I dashed off to find my locker to retrieve my weapons.

Okay then, what number is my locker again?

Six three…something or other.

Seven?

No wait six, it was a six!

Okay now that problem's dealt with so let's just make my way past…Winter's sister. Who seemed to be deep in conversation with a tall red head girl in intricate bronze armour.

Seriously how does she keep showing up around me?

And she's standing right in front of my locker. "Uh excuse me?" I interjected tapping the Schnee heiress on the shoulder. "Would you mi…" I began before I found myself cut off as she whirled around to look at me.

"Do you mind? Who do you think you are?" She hissed, her eyes narrowed in my direction.

I looked at her for a moment before I remembered her description of me yesterday and felt a slight tug at my lips. "Tall, dark and scraggly apparently." I said off-handidly looking at Weiss with a knowing look.

Weiss flushed red in either embarrassment or outrage at that, I honestly couldn't tell which one it was.

"You don't seem to scraggly." The red headed girl commented, her bright green eyes that I only just saw now sparkling with mirth. "I'm Pyrrha. It's nice to meet you." She introduced herself, waving a hand in greeting.

I gave a little wave back. "A pleasure to meet you Pyrrha." I replied with a nod of my head before I turned back to face the silently shaking Weiss and choosing to face Pyrrha once more. "Looking forward to initiation?" I asked trying my best to keep up a conversation.

It was good practice.

The longer I could keep a conversation going without doing something that would prevent it, then the closer I came to regaining the kind of communication most people my own age used every day.

Or rather the closer I came to _gaining _it in the first place.

It's not like I even had it to lose on the island now did I?

Pyrrha nodded, smiling brightly. "Indeed. It seems quite exciting doesn't it?" She said before she remembered something and continued on. "Weiss and I were just talking about the teams." She said gesturing at her companion.

"Teams huh?" I asked lightly before shaking my head ruefully. "I'm a bit nervous about that myself. Never really fought with other people before."

With other people, that much is true.

_Against _other people however?

That I was much more…accomplished…in.

Pyrrha put a hand on my shoulder reassuringly, drawing me out of my thoughts. "I'm sure you'll be a fine teammate." She said convincingly, and surprisingly enough I did feel a bit of my own nervousness fade away at the surety in her voice.

"Uh, Thanks." I said awkwardly, scratching the back of my head while inwardly I cursed at my own social ineptitude once more.

C'mon brain damn you, work! What do I do next? Introductions, initiate small talk with shared experiences and then I…do…something.

Tip of my tongue.

What was certainly set to be an awkward silence was interrupted by Weiss interjecting, both audibly and physically, stepping between Pyrrha and I and pushing us away from each other.

I cheered internally. Thank you Weiss Schnee.

"I'm sorry, but do you have any idea who you are talking to?" Weiss asked indicating towards Pyrrha.

I blinked and scanned Pyrrha's form, racking my brain for any memories of running into her earlier. She seemed sad for some reason. Odd.

"Not in the slightest." I admitted unashamedly causing both Pyrrha and Weiss to be taken aback at my response.

"This is Pyrrha." Weiss said, gesturing back at the redhead behind her.

Pyrrha waved politely at me. "Hello again!" She greeted with a smile.

I felt an eyebrow twitch at Weiss' actions. "I did gather that myself when she introduced herself not _thirty seconds ago_." I said dryly as Weiss proceeded to completely ignore my response.

"She graduated top of her class at Sanctum." Weiss added looking at me expectantly.

Sanctum. That sounds like something I should know…gah, I've got no idea what's going on. Wait no maybe it's like one of those pre-hunter academies like Signal, that school Ruby went to.

"I'm sure that's quite an accomplishment but I'm afraid I haven't the slightest clue as to what Sanctum is." I replied and fighting back a laugh at the gobsmacked look on Weiss' face.

"She's won the Mistral tournament four years in a row, a new record." Weiss continued adding to Pyrrha's accolades a slender brow twitching slightly at me as she did so.

Okay man, think, think.

The Mistral Tournament…

Is a tournament…

In Mistral…

Okay I've got nothing. In all likelihood it's some kind of Huntsman in training thing but I wouldn't be able to say any more than that. I mean Something's telling me that it wasn't an art competition, unless the utensils were weapons and the paint was blood.

Good times.

But hell if you're going to be ignorant, be honest about your ignorance.

And irreverent if at all possible, if only to see if I can get Weiss to snap.

"No idea what that is." I replied flippantly as Weiss' eyebrow entered a whole new level of twitchiness and Pyrrha looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite place with a word.

Weiss appeared to be utterly dumbstruck by my latest revelation in regards to my lack of knowledge regarding Pyrrha and finally snapped, yelling at me while waving her hands up and down. "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!" She finished, huffing slightly from the force of her outburst before seemingly realizing what she had done and crossing her arms and turning away with her nose upturned to the air.

I bit back a snort, although something told me I wasn't quite as successful as I'd intended to be as Weiss gave me a suspicious death stare, narrowing her eyes at me.

Pyrrha appeared to be muffling her own giggles at our antics behind her hand.

And marshmallow flakes? What the hell were those supposed to be? From the sound of it the main ingredient is probably just sugar.

With a side of coloured sugar for flavour.

"Is that a type of candy or something?" I asked, scratching the back of my head through my hood.

"Some type of ca…did you live under a rock?"

It was more of an island actually.

I laughed at that. "Close enough." I managed to force myself to say through the chuckles removing my hood and extending my hand to shake. "Jaune Arc, at your service."

Weiss froze in place and stared at me, her eyes flicking from my outstretched hand to my uncovered head before jerikilly moving forward to shake my hand, an odd expression on her face, as if she was unaware that she was actually moving.

Uh oh.

Might have gone a bit far with my little dramatic reveal there.

"You must be Winter's sister Weiss, she mentioned I might run into you." I added conversationally hoping to reawaken her from shocked state.

"Oh." She said faintly as her face seemed to struggle between trying to go pale as possible or flush a bright cherry red and neither side seemed to be helping the other.

Then she collapsed, Pyrrha and I quickly catching her before she hit the ground.

Uh, okay then.

Not the response I was hoping for there.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Jaune." Pyrrha said, speaking as if the two of us weren't holding a girl who I had appeared to make faint out of sheer embarrassment.

I sighed.

So much for fitting in.

"Nice to meet you too Pyrrha."

**AN: Just getting this version up to date with the Spacebattles one. Expect the next Chapter of White Knight within the week.**

**Too tired to do the answer to reviews thing, so i'll answer them all next time okay?**

**As always, review and tell me what you thought of the latest installment.**

**Cheers,**

**The Inner Hollow**


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